Arana  Book 1
by Kudara
Summary: Forgotten Realms Star Trek: Voyager crossover. Seven rescues the halfelf Arana, Champion of Torm, from the cruel torture of Lovitarian priests.  The stakes are raised when they find out that Bane and Lovitar have an interest in allying with the Borg.
1. Chapter 1

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 1**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: M (non descriptive mention of child abuse, rape, somewhat descriptive mention of torture scene)

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 7/11/04; 7/24/04; 9/11/04; 02/08/05

Summary: Arana's history

* * *

My name is Arana, I was born of a human mother and elven or half-elven father. My mother rarely spoke of him, only to tell me his name and that he had looked like a full moon-elf though he said he was half blooded. My father's name was Maran and he died during the raid that my mother Aressa, who was pregnant with me, was captured in by soldiers of the Red Wizards.

Since my mother was a slave in the realm of Thay when was born, I was born as a slave as well. I would have remained so for the rest of my life but for the priests of Ilmater that bought me from my master and freed me. But I am getting ahead of myself, the purchasing of my freedom did not occur until I was sixteen years of age.

I was a fairly happy child for a slave in Thay; it was my misfortune that I was also a very pretty child. I had midnight black hair that framed what promised to be a classically beautiful face. My elven heritage showed in the slightly up tilted emerald green eyes flecked with gold and eyebrows as well as the characteristic pointed ear shape and pale skin of the moon-elfs. Whether I was half or quarter blood elf, my father's heritage seemed to run unusually strong within me, for there was very little that marked me as human except for the shortened length of my ears and perhaps more color to my skin than a true moon-elf.

When I was twelve I was bought as a pleasure slave for a wealthy merchant with a taste for children. The four years that followed were not pleasant, for he found inflicting pain arousing. There were many nights that I tried to find a position to lie in that would help me to escape from the pain of my bruises and allow me to sleep.

The bedroom duties my master required me to perform were painful and unpleasant, but it was the parties that he held that I hated most of all. After his guests had finished eating and drinking, he would bring some of us in and allow them to take their pleasure with us, only forbidding that any permanent damage was done. It saved us from being cut or our bones being broken but spared us little else.

By the time that I was freed I was full of sullen hatred and anger for the world, especially men. I never knew exactly how the priests found out about us, but somehow they persuaded my master to part with all his slaves. They took all of us to one of their hospices and healed our bodies and tried to mend our minds and spirits.

There were many of my fellow slaves that were broken in mind and spirit; I however, was not one of them. I was bruised, battered, and darkened, but somehow I had kept enough of myself free to not be broken. The words of the priests telling me not to become what I hated did not fall on welcoming ears for months. I dreamed of the things I would do to the men who had used me, of the pain I would return to them. This continued until one night I had a dream where I tortured one of the men, afterwards I looked into a mirror at my bloodied hands and into my own eyes and realized with horror that I had become as evil as them. When I awoke screaming and trembling I looked at my blood free hands and began weeping.

That was my turning point, the start of my healing, when I recognized that my hatred and anger was hurting me, threatening to make me into one of them. Finally the words of the priests began to make sense to me and I listened to their wisdom. I came to understand that while others might hurt my body, they could not hurt my mind or spirit unless I gave them that power.

I came to see that my master and the others who had abused me had let their spirits become evil and because of that they had sought to destroy mine. Their acts had been meant to not only wound my body but to damage my spirit. That was the purpose of the parties where we were used publicly, the men there had gotten more pleasure from our humiliation and the power they had over us than they had from the physical satisfaction.

Eventually the lessons of Ilmater, the Crying God as he was known, began to make sense to me. He was a gentle and kind god, and I began my studies as one of his priestesses in my seventeenth year. I was finally able to free myself from the feelings of revenge I felt and channel them into an unshakable resolve to help others that were suffering.

I spent the next five years learning the ways of Ilmater; and became skilled in both magical and non-magical healing techniques. My secondary interest was in learning different types of protective magic which could be used to protect myself and others. During those years I gained priestly skills quickly. I seemed to have a gift for finding those who needed my aid, and I quite frequently came into conflict with the priests of Loviatar who delighted in torturing others for the pleasure of their evil goddess.

It was after the latest confrontation, one in which I had been gravely wounded while defeating two of Loviatar's priests, that I had the dream which changed my destiny. In it Ilmater appeared to me and ordered me to present myself at the Temple of Torm for training as a paladin. The next morning the senior priest spoke to me at first light and bid me follow the will of my god.

Thus I presented myself that day before the Senior Knight of Torm at the temple and began my service as a novice squire. My situation was unusual, but apparently Torm had made it known to his order that I was to be accepted for training and my obedience to both gods had his blessing. Thus I began my more martial training, learning the ways of combat with the mace and longsword.

As a squire of the order I learned how to speak and act properly and politely as befitting a member of the order. Paladins of Torm were expected to be courteous and well spoken and I spent the next few years learning those particular skills as well as how to read, write and figure mathematics. Luckily I proved to be apt in my scholastic abilities and after my formal training I was often found, when not practicing with weapons, in the library reading various scholarly works.

After three years passed I was judged fit for elevation to the rank of knight and my tasks became increasingly challenging. Over the next three years I was sent on several missions in the service of Torm, sometimes alone and sometimes in the company of my brother and sister knights. I was rewarded by Torm at various times for my valor in combat with increased strength, vigor and agility, as well as receiving the gift of healing by the act of laying on of hands.

I was twenty eight years of age when I was chosen to become a Champion of Torm. Upon that day I began a two-day fast and meditated in the chapel. Torm appeared before me on the second day and gifted me again with increased strength, vigor and agility. Torm also blessed me with increased wisdom and intelligence as well as gifting me with the ability to heal most diseases, and poisons as well as cure the blind or deaf. These healing abilities, as with the ability to heal by laying on of hands, drained me greatly and I could use them only in the direst of emergencies and never more than one of them every day.

I had been a Champion of Torm for four years when I surrendered myself to the priests of Loviatar in exchange for the lives of ten children. They stripped me of my armor, weapons and clothing, hoping to humiliate me by my nakedness. I looked into their faces and saw the decay and blackness of their souls, and I refused to let them touch my mind or spirit. I stood calmly before them and it enraged them, so they then used my body as it had been used when I was a child hoping that it would break me. They were careful to bind me before raping me so and I could do nothing to protect myself physically, but I steadfastly refused to let them touch any part of me besides my physical self.

The priests of Loviatar delight in the power of causing physical, emotional and spiritual pain to their victims. The energy given off by emotional and spiritual agony is, by far, the part of the tortures that they delight in the most. I was refusing them that energy and they left off the rape and began to beat me, settling for the satisfaction of causing me purely physical pain. After one too many blows I passed out and they left me bound and bleeding until I came to again. 

When I regained consciousness the physical pain was overwhelming, I was aware of the deep inner pain of where they had raped me as well as what I suspected were broken ribs where they had kicked me. I began praying to Ilmater for the inner peace to deal with the tortures I knew would begin again as soon as they realized I was conscious. I had no hope of escaping alive, but I refused to give them what they wanted, they would not break me before I died.

It was not long before they realized that I was once again awake, and, with much jeering they lifted me up and spread me between two posts standing about six foot apart. They took great nails and drove them through my wrists, being careful not to damage the arteries there. The main priest took great delight in letting me know that they drove the spikes through my wrists instead of my hands because they had learned that the hands tore too easily when they were whipping their victims.

"Quite clever of you to figure that out," I said sarcastically and perhaps unwisely, and received an armored blow of his hand across my face. I let my head turn with it and was barely able to save my jaw from being broken by the blow. They then nailed my feet to the posts as well, and then the main priest smiled congenially at me and lifted the maul that rested against the posts and broke both my thigh bones two mighty blows.

I passed out from the pain once again, and they left me hanging there by my wrists. It was all I could do not to scream when I came dazedly to for the second time. They were waiting for me and the priest showed me the whip they planned on using. I steadfastly looked him in the eye and refused to be made fearful by the bits of glass and metal knotted into it.

He spat in my face and promised that I would scream for them before they let me die.

"I am a Champion of Torm and a Priestess of Ilmater, I will not scream for the pleasure of you or your Goddess," I replied to him. His face purpled with anger upon hearing that I was also a priestess of Ilmater, something apparently unknown to them, and he began beating me across the chest as he leered at me.

I retreated deep within myself and prayed to Ilmater who immediately answered my plea. I felt myself drifting away from the pain. I was still aware of the damage being done to my body, but the new pains merged almost unnoticed with the old as he finally gave up bloodying my breasts and moved around behind me to begin whipping my back.

I was almost unconscious when I became aware of an odd noise and saw beams of orange light go past me. Dazedly I managed to lift my head and saw a woman standing before me; she was beautiful with golden hair and an odd ornament around her left eye. I looked into her eyes and sensed the goodness in her. I knew that she was here to rescue me and breathed out "Blessings of Torm and Ilmater upon you Milady."

She looked confused at my words and I wondered if she understood them, she bent then and I saw her silver covered back as she knelt to grasp the spikes fastening my foot to the post. I passed out temporarily as she freed me from the spikes. When I came to once again I was being lowered onto a surface. I was briefly aware of the woman who had rescued me and a man wearing black and blue clothing and a worried look on his face standing over me. The man lowered some type of tube to my neck and darkness fell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 2**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: R for mention of torture, rape.

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 7/4/04; 7/24/04; 9/11/04; 02/08/05; 01/21/06

Summary: Seven rescues Arana

* * *

The senior staff had just finished their briefing when a shudder ran though the ship; glancing at each other they rushed from the briefing room to their various stations. Seven hurried with Lt. Torres to the turbolift, stepping off on Deck 8 for Astrometrics while the Lt. continued to Deck 11 and Engineering.

Seven began scanning immediately and was surprised momentarily by the readings. She opened Astrometrics communications channel and reported "A small spatial rift is opening almost directly in front of us; I'm reading high amounts of neutrinos and chronotons in the local area which are being emitted by the rift."

Suddenly the ship rocked again and Seven heard and odd sound in front of her. She looked up from her console toward the raised dais where the astrometrics viewscreen was located. An oval area of rippling energy had appeared upon the dais. The outline of it was colored midnight blue which shaded into black toward the central area. Seven quickly grabbed a tricorder as she said, "A localized anomaly has appeared in Astrometrics, scanning now."

Janeway replied, "Seven get out of there now and take your readings from a safer distance."

"It is a wormhole Captain, I suggest we stop so I may determine where and when the other side of it is located," said Seven as she continued scanning the anomaly, ignoring the Captains order to leave Astrometrics.

Seven heard Janeway order the stop and the sound of the engines faded away as the ship came to a halt in space. The wormhole remained stable, resting on the dais. Something about it bothered Seven. The movement of the ship should have affected the wormhole's location, but from its behavior the terminus seemed to be attached to Astrometrics itself.

Seven carefully began moving up and around the dais. Her calm Borg façade broke for a moment, a look of shock registering on her face as she saw the other side of the wormhole. She was looking directly into a large room; several men wearing dark clothing were clustered about a figure hanging between two posts at the far end of the room. The room's walls were composed of grey, rough looking stone blocks and the floor was made of smoothed rectangular grey flagstones. The only sources of light in the room were small windows high up on the wall and smoking torches that were fitted into holders along the walls of the room.

A statue of a woman dominated the far end of the room past the cluster of men, depicting a cruel faced woman holding a whip and standing with one foot atop the figure of a dead man. She appeared to be looking down on the figure between the posts. A large symbol on the wall behind the statue showed a many tailed knotted black whip on a white background.

Seven focused on the figure and gasped, then moved quickly around the wormhole to her console and grabbed the phaser that was located there. "Seven to Bridge, I am entering the wormhole. Erect an intruder forcefield around Astrometrics and send a security detachment."

Seven was on her way back around the anomaly when Janeway responded, "Seven you can't enter a wormhole and survive. The gravitational forces would kill you."

Seven paused, "This is not like any other wormhole we have encountered, it possesses qualities of a wormhole but the end terminus is positioned immediately after the boundary in Astrometrics. I will be stepping directly from Astrometrics into wherever this other end is located."

"Seven do not go through the terminus. That is an order; you have no way of knowing if the terminus will remain stable. Wait for security to arrive and take further readings, I will be down shortly and we can come to a decision on whether or not to explore the other side," replied Janeway.

"I am sorry Captain, but I cannot wait, she will die if I do not stop them. Please erect the intruder force field and prepare for an immediate transport to sickbay's bio containment area when I return," said Seven, right before she stepped through the wormhole.

"What? Seven? Lt. Torres, are those intruder forcefields in place?" said Janeway, the last directed to Engineering.

Lt. Torres was shaking her head at Seven's outright disobedience of the Captain as she erected a series of forcefields to cordon off Astrometrics from the rest of the ship. "Yes, Captain they are up, I'm getting readings from the other side of the terminus in Astrometrics. Seven was correct, this isn't like any other wormhole I've seen; I'm getting clear readings from wherever the other terminus is located. It appears to be inside some type of stone structure; I'm reading several other humanoid life signs including Seven's." Lt. Torres touched more controls and said in a rising tone, "I'm detecting phaser fire, Seven's bio signs appear to be stable."

"Can you get a transporter lock on Seven?" asked Janeway.

"I'm trying Captain, but the wormhole is interfering. Phaser fire has stopped though and Seven's bio signs are still stable." Lt. Torres kept an eye on her readings and in a few minutes she reported, "Two life signs appear to be moving back toward the terminus, one of them is Seven's."

"Bridge to Sickbay, Doctor prepare for potential casualties," said Janeway.

"Casualties of what kind, Captain?" came the reply back from the Doctor.

"I have no idea Doctor," replied Janeway, "Seven mentioned something about a woman who might die and asked for an immediate transport to sickbay's bio containment field when she returned. I'm headed down to Sickbay now."

"Understood, Sickbay out," said the Doctor before closing the channel.

Janeway stood up and turned to Chakotay, "You have the bridge Commander." Inside she was fuming at Seven's disobedience, but she was also worried and intensely curious as to what the she had seen on the other side of the wormhole that would cause her to act in what was, for her, a rash manner.

Seven stepped through the terminus and experienced a brief sensation of disorientation as her feet settled on the stone flooring of the room. She immediately began aiming her phaser at the nearest of the men clustered about the bleeding woman and fired. Quickly, but methodically she aimed and fired at the men until all of them were rendered unconscious. Hurriedly she approached the still figure of the woman that she had seen being brutally whipped, hoping that she was still alive.

Seven paused in front of the pale skinned woman; she could not see her face, for her head hung limply and her long black hair hung down obscuring it. Her chest was mangled and torn, blood streaked down it, dripping onto the bruised and broken thighs and legs. Suddenly the woman drew in a gasp and looked upward meeting Seven's eyes. Green eyes the color of emeralds met Seven's grey blue ones. Seven had the feeling of being evaluated and then the woman said weakly "Blessings of Torm and Ilmater upon you milady."

Seven was confused by the words, but she knew that she needed to quickly get the woman to Sickbay. She bent over and grasped the spike that impaled the woman's left foot with her Borg enhanced arm and forcefully pulled it from the post. A weak groan accompanied her effort and Seven glanced upward and saw that the woman had passed out from the pain. Seven repeated her action with the other foot and then gingerly supported the woman with an arm wrapped around her waist as she freed her wrists.

The sight of the woman's back as she slumped over her arm caused Seven to feel ill. She had been beaten so badly that the white of her rib bones could be seen among the mangled flesh. Seven decided that carrying the woman over her shoulder would cause the least additional damage and kneeled to position her shoulder under the woman's waist. With an exhaled breath at the woman's weight Seven stood and began walking toward the terminus.

As soon as Seven stepped back through the terminus into Astrometrics she felt the transporter beam and was relieved to see that she was in Sickbay a moment later. Seven saw the Doctor on the other side of the biobed from her and was reassured; he immediately began scanning the woman. Opening doors and a shocked gasp heralded the arrival of the Captain.

Seven turned her head and looked at Janeway who had a hand held to her mouth. Her eyes met Sevens and she said in a low voice, "The people on the other side of the terminus did this to her?"

Seven nodded and Janeway activated her combadge, "Janeway to Engineering, what's the status on the wormhole terminus in Astrometrics?"

"It disappeared as soon as Seven stepped through it Captain, I can't determine why though," reported Lt. Torres.

"Scan the entire ship for similar wormholes, and let me know immediately if you find anything that looks like another one." Janeway cut that channel and opened another, "Janeway to Bridge, Commander get us at least 10 thousand kilometers away from that spatial rift and then maintain that distance. I don't want to take the chance of another wormhole forming inside the ship to the same place without knowing more about it."

While the Captain was talking Seven and the Doctor were conversing in low tones about the woman's condition. Seven was hesitant to lay the woman down on the biobed with the condition her back was in and the Doctor agreed. He spent a few minutes running the dermal regenerator over the woman's back, repairing the worst areas and then assisted Seven in laying the woman down gently onto the surface.

The woman gained consciousness briefly and gazed at them dazedly before the Doctor administered a sedative. He then extended the clamshell like sensors from the bio bed and began taking detailed readings of the woman's condition.

Orders completed for the moment, Janeway glanced at the two people huddled over the woman's form on the biobed. Seven's biosuit was stained with blood where the woman's body had rested on her shoulder and the Doctor had a concerned expression on his face as he examined the readings from his medical sensors.

"What is her condition." Inquired Janeway as she stepped closer to the force field and examined what she could see of the woman. The one glance she had had of the woman's deeply lacerated back and the wounds in her wrists had shaken Janeway. The woman's wounds coupled with Seven's earlier words had made it clear to Janeway that what Seven had witnessed had caused her to ignore her orders and go through the wormhole to rescue the woman. Janeway did not blame her now; no decent person would stand by and watch another person be tortured to death without acting to save them.

"I've managed to stabilize her life signs, her most severe wounds are the lacerations on her torso, internal bleeding and injury from what looks like blows to the torso followed by the broken femurs in both legs. She also has internal injuries and semen traces consistent with sexual assault. I don't see any indication that there is the possibility of pregnancy, so she doesn't have to worry about that." The Doctor looked briefly at the Captain with this last statement then turned to Seven.

"Seven, if you would take care of some of the more minor flesh injuries I will finish healing the lacerations and take care of her internal damage." The Doctor handed Seven one of the dermal regenerators as he said this. She accepted it and began working on the wounds in the woman's hand.

The Doctor and Seven worked for nearly an hour before the Doctor was satisfied with his patient's condition. He looked at Janeway for a moment, knowing only too well why the Captain hadn't left sickbay yet; she was waiting for some answers. The Doctor said, "Computer lower security forcefield and biofield." He smiled at the Captain briefly, "There is no danger of any contamination indicated by my scans. If you will move closer Captain and look at her ears and the shape of the eyes and eyebrows." With this he parted the long black hair to expose one pointed ear, "She's not a Vulcan or Romulan hybrid as you might guess from her physical features. The bio scans of her DNA indicate that she is part human but I'm not familiar with what the rest of her genome could be. I don't have anything like it on file."

Janeway moved over to stand beside the biobed and examined the features of the woman. As the Doctor had indicated she looked similar to a Vulcan and human hybrid with delicately slanted eyes and upswept eyebrows in addition to the pointed ears, but unlike a Vulcan her skin was pale and had almost a bluish undertone to it. Her face had not been damaged and Janeway admired the beauty of it, the exotic tilt to the eyes and brows only added to the appeal of her features. From what Janeway could see of the woman she looked to be physically powerful with well developed muscles in her shoulders and arms that spoke of an intensely physically active life.

"Did she say anything Seven?" asked Janeway.

Seven repeated what the woman had said to her as she moved over to a supply drawer and pulled out one of the silver blankets there and moved back to cover the woman with it now that her wounds were healed.

"Computer, begin a database search on the words Torm and Ilmater," requested Janeway.

Seven looked up at her and nodded, "The manner in which she mentioned those names indicated that she considered them deities."

"So they might be mentioned somewhere in our database, which would give us an idea where she is from," finished Janeway.

"Match found," stated the computer.

"Details." ordered the Captain.

"Torm, reference found in source material of a twentieth century game called Dungeons and Dragons owned by Wizards of the Coast. Torm was originally a human male who was made a god by Tyr for his loyal service to Rendros first High King of the fictional realm Faerun and for his self sacrifice in assisting a woman and her children to escape while he fell in battle against their attackers. In the game he is considered the god of duty, loyalty and obedience, his moral orientation is lawful good. He is also known as the god of paladins. Symbol is the gauntleted hand. Serves Tyr as his war leader." The computer finished and the three of them stared in surprise at each other.

It continued, "Ilmater also found in reference material for Dungeons and Dragons, youngest child of Chauntea and Malar, known as the Crying God because he was tortured by his elder sister Lovitar as a child. Known as the god of endurance and suffering, moral orientation is lawful good. Allied with Torm and Tyr in a group known as the Triad. Symbol is crossed hands bound by a blood red cord."

"Symbol of Lovitar," Seven queried acting on a 'hunch' as Janeway would call it.

"Lovitar reference found in same source material as Torm and Ilmater, goddess of pain and torture, symbol is a nine tailed whip," stated the computer.

Seven paused and said, "In the room where I found her there was a statue of a woman, the symbol just described was on the wall behind the statue."

Janeway stared at Seven for a moment, "Computer, detailed information about Lovitar."

"Lovitar, reference found in source material of a twentieth century game called Dungeons and Dragons owned by Wizards of the Coast. Lovitar is the eldest child of Chauntea and Malar. Known as the goddess of hurt, pain and torture, moral orientation is lawful evil. Mention is made that priests of Lovitar will seek out priests of Ilmater to torture and kill. Symbol is a nine tailed whip," the computer fell silent.

The Doctor stated, "What does this game have to do with my patient?"

Janeway looked at the woman and said, "I'm not certain, but from what Seven said it's not a game to the people who were torturing her. And I would guess it's not a game to her either."

"I've finished healing her internal injuries," said the Doctor as he moved down the woman's body, "Now to fix her femurs, the bones are crushed. Do you have any idea how these injuries were made Seven? There is extensive bruising around the site; it looks like an impact injury."

Seven glanced at the Doctor, "I believe they were broken intentionally to prevent her from being able to stand. I remember seeing a hammer resting against one of the posts that she was fastened to."

Seven continued around the woman's body she had healed both of the wounds in the woman's feet and was now healing the remaining hand.

"The injuries to her hands and feet?" questioned Janeway looking pale.

"Crude iron based spikes that were driven through her feet and wrists to fasten them against two wooden posts." answered Seven.

"What type of barbarians are these people?" asked the Doctor in an outraged tone.

Seven looked at the Doctor, "I have completed healing the wounds to her hands and feet, what injuries should I heal next?"

"Actually," said the Doctor as he lowered the medical scanners, "Nothing else, physically she's fully healed. Though, with her physiology I can't be fully certain of that, she has some organs whose functions I don't understand, and the results of her brain scan are…puzzling." The Doctor stared at some of the readings again, shaking his head.

"Can you wake her?" asked Janeway.

The Doctor looked at his patient for a moment and then said, "I would prefer if she could rest a few hours after the trauma she has been through."

"I understand Doctor, but I need to ask her a few questions about where she comes from. I'm not certain if she would want to be trapped here with us or returned to her own planet if we can find another wormhole to return her through." explained Janeway.

The Doctor nodded and prepared a hypospray.


	3. Chapter 3

**Arana – Book 1 - Chapter 3**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: PG-13.

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 7/23/04; 8/17/04; 9/11/04; 02/08/05

Summary: Arana wakes up in Voyagers sickbay.

Notes: Arana is a 7th level cleric; 7th level Paladin; for an overall 14th level character. For the purposes of this story I'm limiting her paladin abilities to Laying on of Hands, Cure Blindness/Deafness, Disease, Poison 1/day; Divine Wrath (Champion Of Torm ability ) 1/day

* * *

I awoke to find myself staring into the concerned eyes of my rescuer, beside her stood the man I had seen earlier. He gave me a reassuring smile as he asked me "How are you feeling?"

I suddenly realized that I was no longer in pain and I raised my hands and stared at them only to find that there was not even a scar left from the wounds the nails had made. I was lying on a bed, still unclothed but with a silver colored sheet covering me for modesty's sake. "I am well, are you a priest to have healed me so quickly?"

He looked confused, "I am the Emergency Medical Hologram, not a priest."

I was not familiar with the word, "You did not heal me through prayer to your deity?"

"I healed you using my extensive medical knowledge, not through prayer…" he was about to continue, but another voice broke in and my eyes were drawn to a shorter auburn haired woman in black and red clothing that now stood at the end of the bed I was lying on. She had an aura of power about her and the way the Emergency Medical Hologram immediately differed to her told me that she was the senior person in the room.

"Let's not get into modern medical techniques Doctor." She paused and then looked at me; I could see compassion in her eyes as she spoke, "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."

She paused and I replied, "I beg your pardon Milady for not rising, I do not appear to be appropriately dressed to greet you. I am Arana, Champion of Torm and Priestess of Ilmater. I thank you for your gracious hospitality and for the healing skills of your…Emergency Medical Hologram." I was being as polite as possible, everyone that I had met so far appeared to be basically good in nature, but otherwise I knew nothing of these people and the strange place I found myself in, and I did not want to offend them by my ignorance of their customs.

She blinked and smiled at me, "You're quite welcome, I'm certain we can provide clothing for you if that would make you feel more comfortable?"

I returned her smile saying, "Clothing would be welcome, Milady. If it would not be too much of an imposition, might I bathe before dressing?"

"Call me Captain, and no, a bath would not be an imposition. There is a shower here in Sickbay you can use," the woman said, "Here, let Seven and I help you up."

"Captain," I said, somewhat formally as I sat up and my rescuer wrapped the blanket about my bare back, "May I be introduced to the courageous lady who saved my life?" I looked at the blond woman by my side and my blood stains on her clothing, they indicated that she had carried me on her shoulder and I was surprised. I examined her more closely this time, noting more detail of the odd metal facial attachments and the metal that surrounded one of her hands. She was slender, but the fact that she had carried me over one shoulder spoke strongly of her strength.

"My designation is Seven of Nine, but I am referred to as Seven." My rescuer stated with her head slightly tilted, not waiting for her senior to introduce her. She was standing close beside me as she held the blanket over my back and I slid my legs off the bed so that I could stand beside her.

"Seven," I said the word somewhat softly, trying it out to see how it fit her, "A word I formerly associated only with numbers, but now it has gained much grace and honor by its use as the name of such a beautiful and noble lady as yourself."

I noticed Captain Janeway out of the corner of my eye looking decidedly amused as she watched Seven and I. Seven had turned slightly at my comment and as I was able to hold the blanket about me without her assistance. She stepped slightly away from me and a small smile graced her features. She raised the metallic ornament about her left eye and gave me what I thought was a dubious look which I returned solemnly.

After a few moments she appeared to accept that I meant my words and, walking away from me she said, "If you will follow me I will show you where the shower is located and familiarize you with the controls for its operation."

The man stopped me as I went to follow her, "Arana are you feeling dizzy or nauseated?"

Seven paused and turned back, watching and waiting for my answer, "The foul priests of Lovitar only struck me in the face once, Milord. My skull is uninjured; I am neither dizzy nor nauseated." I replied to him, understanding his concern.

"You can just call me Doctor, Arana," he said, smiling at me.

"With your permission, Doctor, Captain," I paused, waiting to see if either of them had any more questions for me.

The Captain looked mildly quizzical for a moment then her face cleared, "No more questions, Doctor, let her go take her shower." Then she made shooing gestures with her hands toward me. I nodded and holding the blanket close around me, politely gave her a short bow, mindful of my present state of undress, and turned to follow Seven.

She led me out of the odd circular room I had awoken in and around the area to the right. We passed another circular room with large clear windows and then went toward what looked like grey double doors which, to my surprise, opened from the center and slid into the walls on either side. Through the odd doors was a small room that contained the thing called a 'shower' that Seven had spoken of, which seemed to be a small depressed area that was enclosed with what appeared to be glass on three sides. The fourth side was solid and had the shower controls which seemed to be a colorful pictorial that was touched to control whether the shower used water or what she called sonic waves. It also controlled the temperature or intensity setting of whatever cleaning method was chosen.

Seeing my confused look as she tried to explain the sonic setting Seven paused and said, "Perhaps the water setting would be more familiar to you." Seven pointed out the pictorial I remembered for the water setting and then pointed toward the temperature pictorial which was easy to understand as it was shaded vertically from blue to red. "If you need any further assistance I will be immediately outside the doors of this room. What type of clothing would you prefer?" Seven asked me.

I paused before replying, the similarity between the Doctor's and Captain's clothing made me believe it was some type of uniform, therefore most likely inappropriate to wear. Seven's clothing, though attractive, was too revealing for my sense of modesty. "From what you and Captain Janeway are wearing I gather it is appropriate for females to wear clothing that shows the outline of the legs here?" I asked.

Seven looked like she was considering my words for a moment, then she replied, "Pants of various types are the most common style of clothing worn by the females of Voyager's crew."

I smiled; I preferred wearing breeches and shirts even though I often scandalized my brother and sister knights by doing so. "If it is not too much trouble a simple white shirt, dark brown, burgundy, blue or black breeches, black boots and a matching a jerkin or doublet would suffice if I am not required to wear a gown, Seven."

Seven tilted her head slightly then nodded and turned smartly around and left the room. I was surprised for a moment, then I smiled to myself in amusement, my rescuer certainly did not waste either actions or words if they were not clearly required.

I hung the blanket on some conveniently placed hooks and stepped into the shower and slid the glass across where I had stepped in as Seven had shown me. Then I turned on the water and played with the temperature settings until it was comfortably hot. It took a moment to get used to the idea of water pouring forth over my head instead of immersing myself in it, which I would have preferred, but as it was all that was available I chided myself for my ungraciousness.

I had prevented the foul priests from touching my mind and soul and now my body wanted to be cleansed of the memory of their touch. With no one watching I permitted myself a moment of weakness and shed some tears as I carefully cleansed every inch of skin and washed my hair.

* * *

As soon as Arana had disappeared into the bathing room with Seven, Janeway turned and asked the Doctor "What did you mean she has internal organs that you don't recognize?"

"Here, look," said the Doctor as he pulled up the internal scans, "See here and here. I've never seen anything like these. What are even more interesting are these readings." The Doctor pulled up some more scans and looked at the Captain expectantly.

"These are energy readings?" asked Janeway puzzled. At the Doctor's nod she examined them again, "The organs store energy?"

"That appears to be their function; I'm not certain why they store energy though…" The Doctor looked at the readings again and hummed softly to himself, causing Janeway to give him a curious look which he finally caught, and, looking somewhat embarrassed, offered an explanation. "I am feeling some anticipation at the thought of discovering exactly what the function of these organs might be, and how they manage to store energy."

Janeway smiled in understanding and, seeing Seven emerge from the bathing room she called her over for her opinion of the information the Doctor had gathered.

Seven scanned through the information and angled her head to the side before she turned to them and admitted, "The Borg have not encountered any species whose physiology is comparable to Arana's. I agree with the Doctor's finding that these organs store energy. From this information I would theorize that they store bio-electric energy. I believe that energy is then made available to these secondary organelles… but what happens to it after that I cannot determine from this information. More study will be needed."

Finished with her explanation, Seven walked over to the replicator and began searching for the clothing items Arana had mentioned. Janeway walked over beside her and Seven paused her search to let the Captain see what she was doing.

"Try medieval clothing for hologram programs," Janeway suggested after seeing what Seven was searching through.

Seven turned and looked at her surprised, then did as she suggested and raised her ocular implant at the outfits listed. They appeared to match the requested items and she quickly picked out a set in burgundy and black and transferred Arana's body measurements from the medical database. As she retrieved them she turned to the Captain and thanked her for the suggestion.

* * *

I heard the doors open and looked over my shoulder in surprise only to see that Seven had come in bearing clothing which she sat down on a bench then glanced at me. A brief emotion flickered across her features.

"You are in pain, I will inform the Doctor," she said and turned to leave.

"Milady, please," I beseeched and she stopped and turned back to me, "the good Doctor, for all his skill, can do nothing for this pain." I turned and breathed deeply, bringing myself back under control and chanted a small prayer to Ilmater. "I apologize for distressing you with my display of weakness." I said once I had brought my emotions back under my control.

"Apologies are not needed Arana, you did not distress me, I believed you to be injured. I am unfamiliar with the display of emotions and misinterpreted what I saw," Seven looked ill at ease but finally said, "I do not believe you are weak Arana." She then turned and left the room.

I finished bathing and turned off the shower, then used one of the towels hanging outside the shower enclosure to dry. Investigating the clothing I was pleased with Seven's choices. I dressed and straightened the doublet, admiring the tailored cut of it. I wondered how these people were able to produce clothing so precisely tailored. Shrugging I hoped that I would obtain some answers to my questions soon. Noticing a brush and toiletry items on a shelf over what I thought was a sink I walked over and took the opportunity to brush my hair and teeth. There were hair ties as well and I picked one up and tied back my hair as was my custom.

Taking one last look at my image in the mirror above the shelf and sink I was pleased by the calmness in my eyes. Bathing the touch of the priests of Lovitar from my skin and the short surrender to my emotions had helped calm the inner turmoil I had been experiencing. I walked toward the doors and paused as they opened, then stepped through them and found Seven waiting patiently for me.

She examined my face and appeared content with what she saw there, for she graced me with a slight smile before she spoke softly, "You are… feeling better?" she inquired.

I was touched by her concern, "Your concern is as a balm to my soul, Milady. I am recovered well enough."

She gave me another one of those looks as if she were trying to figure out whether or not I was sincere. "Milady, I do not mean to make you uncomfortable with my words." I assured her.

She rocked back upon her heels at my words, tilting her head slightly at me. We were standing close enough that I noticed that she was as tall as I before she spoke. "Your phrasing does not cause me discomfort; I am simply unused to it. I am certain I will adapt quickly," she paused for a moment then asked questioningly, "I believe you are flattering me?"

I was not surprised by her doubt given her actions and paused as I considered how to make her understand that I was not in the habit of flattering people. "Milady, I do not speak empty meaningless phrases. Please do not doubt the sincerity and honesty of my words." I knelt before her on one knee impulsively and swore, for it was obvious that she did not know that I could not lie as a Paladin serving Torm. "By my honor as a Champion of Torm I swear I have spoken only the truth to you, and I will always do so. May Torm strike me down if I ever break this oath to you." I said to her earnestly.

I noticed that the Captain and Doctor had come into view behind Seven as I said these words and the astonished looks on their faces at seeing me kneeling in front of Seven was very humorous. Yet I waited solemnly for Seven to reply to my oath. A startled look had passed fleetingly over her face when I went down upon one knee and now she stared back at me curiously and I realized that, of course she had no idea that I needed a response from her. Gently I asked, "Milady, do you accept my oath?"

As she raised her left brow in a look I was already becoming accustomed to she nodded, and then, as I remained on bended knee replied, "I accept your oath that you will speak the truth to me."

My oath accepted I stood gracefully and replied, "Thank you Milady." I looked past her at the Captain and Doctor and Seven turned to see what I was looking at. When she noticed the other two she nodded to them and started walking toward them and I followed. We stepped into the circular area with the large glass windows and the three of us took seats in what I learned was the Doctor's office.

"Arana," said Janeway, "I had some questions for you about the place Seven rescued you from. We reached it through what we call a wormhole, which is a type of passage way in space that connects two widely separated parts of the galaxy. We are trying to figure out where exactly the other side of the wormhole, the place where you come from might be located. The wormhole that you came through has already collapsed but while conditions in this part of space remain the same there is a good chance that another will form that you can get back home through."

I did not understand what she meant by all the words she used but I understood enough to recognize that she was referring to a gate spell, "You are speaking of a Gate? Only the most powerful of Wizards can call those."

"A Gate?" she asked me.

"I have been through one once, the Grand Wizard Tyara called one. It appeared as a large oval and you could see the place we were going through it. When we stepped through there was a moment of disorientation and then we were there. We traveled 300 miles in an instant. I have heard they can even connect different planes of existence."

Janeway had a surprised look on her face at my words, "That sounds rather like what Seven saw in Astrometrics." She glanced at Seven who nodded.

"You are correct Captain, It was not like any wormhole I have ever encountered before and the description of a Gate matches my experiences with the phenomenon." said Seven.

"Was there anyone on your side who would have made a Gate?" asked Janeway of me.

I shook my head, "No Milady, if one was called perhaps it was by the will of Ilmater or Torm." I considered briefly what that might mean if Torm or Ilmater had called a Gate so that these people could rescue me.

"What is the planet you come from named." Janeway asked obviously deciding to move on from the subject of Gates for now.

"Toril," I replied, "The temple of Lovitar you rescued me from was in a region known as the Sword Coast, and I know not exactly where it was located. I was blindfolded for most of the trip but it was within two days ride of Luskan where I exchanged myself for the freedom of ten children held by the Lovitarians."

Janeway's face registered shock at my words. "You exchanged yourself?"

I nodded, "It is my duty as a Champion of Torm to protect the innocent from harm, I felt the exchange of my body for theirs was a worthy one." I paused for a moment and then continued, "I felt the approval of Torm right before I allowed them to strip me of my armor and weapons, at my willingness to sacrifice myself for their safety. Perhaps the Gateway was Torm's doing, a rescue where I expected none in reward of my actions."

"You knew they would torture you." Stated Seven who stared at me in what I thought was shock.

"Yes, I knew what torments they had planned for me," I answered her, "They were most forthcoming with their plans for me before the exchange was made. Yet they would have done the same to those children. I could not allow that to happen when it was within my power to prevent it, no matter the cost to myself."

"Surely no one could do that to children." Janeway interrupted with a disbelieving look on her face.

"They are Priests of Lovitar, they would have pleased their goddess greatly with the torment of those children." I explained to her, it was clear to me that she was unwilling to believe that they were as evil as I was saying. "Lovitar draws energy from the torment of those tortured in her name; children because of their innocence are highly valued by the Lovitar priesthood for sacrifice to her. Their torture will frequently darken their soul as they do not know how to resist her. Then their deaths will deliver their souls to her for her to feed off of."

A look of revulsion passed over Janeway's face before she asked, "Why then were they willing to trade them for you?"

"If they could have broken me, my soul would have provided her with more energy than the children would have. As well as striking a blow against Torm whom she hates." I explained.

I could still see stubborn disbelief on the Captain's face, it spoke well of her good nature that she held on to it even over my explanations. Seven's face was almost unreadable except for a slight tightness about her eyes which I was unable to interpret. The Doctor looked disgusted at my explanation and it was obvious to me that he at least believed what I had said.

Janeway shook her head and drew in a breath, "Well it was a very noble thing you did then to save them. Hopefully we can get you back to some place safe, now that you are healed we will approach the area of the spatial anomaly and see if we can detect another wormhole to get you home." She looked at me with an earnest and warm expression and I nodded.

"My thanks to you Captain." I assured her.

Suddenly I heard an odd chirp and a female voice came from the air about us, "Captain, Torres here. I'm picking up some type of energy signature in Astrometrics, it's has characteristics of a cross between the wormhole we detected earlier and a transport beam. Also, the spatial anomaly is destabilizing rapidly, I'm estimating it will be in existence for a few seconds more... the anomaly is gone Captain."

Immediately following that there was another voice, this time male, "Captain this is Lt. Tuvok, what appears to be a set of armor and weapons has been transported to Astrometrics. I have examined them and am unfamiliar with the metal they are composed of; perhaps our guest might be familiar with their origin."

The Captain, who had stood up with a surprised look on her face after the first voice now said, "Seven, Arana if you would accompany me to Astrometrics please." She moved around the doctor and exited the circular room followed by Seven. I stood and quickened my pace to join them by another set of doors which opened at the Captain's approach and the three of us stepped out into what appeared to be a rug covered hallway. The walls were the same as the ones I had seen in what they called Sickbay, metallic looking and uniformly light grey in color with what looked like darker metal supports. The light in the hallway came from what looked like clear bright squares in the ceiling. As we walked along I had to restrain myself from stopping to stare at all the interesting sights.

We paused at the end of the corridor and walked through another set of doors into a very small round room with only the one exit. I was puzzled as the Captain said "Astrometrics" and I sensed the room moving, since neither the Captain nor Seven appeared alarmed I relaxed as well and wondered where the small chamber was taking us. Within a few seconds the doors opened and we walked out into another corridor which appeared to be identical to the one we had just left.

We continued down the corridor and I could see a gathering of men and women outside one of the doorways. They were wearing the same style uniform as the Captain but the upper shoulder area was yellow in color instead of red. A dark male with closely trimmed hair stepped forward, I immediately noted his ears and eyebrows and surprised I said in Elvish, "Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?" Everyone looked at me surprised and I saw no recognition on the man's face. "I beg your pardon sir, I asked if you knew Elvish," I spoke in the common tongue.

"Elvish?" said the Captain before the dark man could speak.

"I am of Human and Elven blood, is not your crewman as well?" I inquired.

"I am Lt. Tuvok, and I am Vulcan not Elven," the dark man informed me with a raised brow in an otherwise impassive face.

The Captain stood between us glancing back and forth once with a puzzled look, at what I did not know. I was surprised to hear that the dark man was not part Elven, this Vulcan race he spoke of was unfamiliar to me. "My pardon, Lt. Tuvok, I meant no insult to you, your race or your parentage. I am Arana, Champion of Torm."

I saw interest in his face at my words and he spoke slightly more warmly, "I perceived no insult, given the similarity of our physical features it is a reasonable query. I am not familiar with the Elven race." Lt. Tuvok glanced at the Captain who was looking slightly impatient and said, "Perhaps we can discuss this later Arana, Champion of Torm. I was hoping you might have some information on the items that were teleported into Astrometrics."

With that he stepped into the room and I followed, he pointed toward his left and I looked over to see what he was indicating. "Blessings of Torm!" I exclaimed. There was a suit of ceremonial Mithral full plate woman's armor on an armor stand with the emblem of Torm in gold on the breastplate, as well as a kite shield, mace and longsword.

Seven and the Captain had stepped in behind me and I heard Seven say in what I interpreted as a dry tone, "Given the style and sizing I believe the armor is meant for you Arana."

"Mithral, the metal is called mithral. It is very precious and rare; I've never seen it used for a full suit of armor before." I knew the awe I felt was reflected on my face and in my voice. I was trying to comprehend what the appearance of the armor meant to me. It was obvious to me that it was a gift from Torm, but what was his message to his Champion.

I noticed Seven moving further into the room and looked at her, she was standing next to some type of raised podium covered with more pictorials and was rapidly touching different ones. "Captain," she said drawing the woman's attention to her. "The spatial anomaly has completely dissipated. There are no signs of unusual spatial readings within range of our sensors."

She glanced at me as did the Captain and I stared back puzzled.

The Captain sighed and said to me, "Well, since armor obviously meant for you was sent here, it appears that whoever sent you plans on you staying with us for awhile."

I stared back at her and then glanced at the armor; Torm's will was becoming clear to me. I walked over to the armor and weapons and drew the longsword from its sheath. I noticed Lt. Tuvok stiffening and ignored him as I cradled the weapon horizontally in front of me and walked over in front of the Captain.

"Torm's will is clear to me," I informed her as she stared at me puzzled. "I am meant to remain here with you Captain Janeway. I have looked into your soul and it is an honorable one with much goodness in it. Therefore my path is apparent to me," I knelt and raised my longsword up to her. "I Arana, Champion of Torm and Priestess of Ilmater, after my duties and obligations as Champion and Priestess, do offer you my fealty Milady, to follow your commands excepting ones that serve evil, to protect you and those who serve you from all harm, to serve you faithfully and loyally in the name of Torm. Will you accept my oath of fealty and my sword in your service Milady?"

I noted that the Captain looked extremely surprised by my action and words, well stunned would be perhaps a more accurate statement. Yet she reached out and tentatively touched the sword and that was all that was needed. A blue glow briefly surrounded both our figures and I could see her eyes widen as Torm blessed my oath indicating beyond any further doubt that this was my path.


	4. Chapter 4

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 4**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: T (13+)

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Summary: Arana begins to adapt to Voyager.

Revision History: 7/24/04; 8/17/04; 9/11/04

* * *

"Captain?" I heard Lt. Tuvok inquire as the glow faded.

She and I were staring at each other, the voice of Torm resonating in both of our minds where he had blessed my oath of fealty. She stood with her hand on the hilt of my sword and I still knelt. Slowly she removed her hand, looking at the sword in amazement. I stood and lowered the sword to rest, point downward, on the floor of the room.

Out of the corner of my eye I noted that several of the people who had been standing out in the hallway were now staring curiously into the room from the doorway. I saw Lt. Tuvok turn and glance at them sternly and they quickly returned to their places.

She cleared her throat and asked, "That was Torm, I gather?"

"It was, My Liege," I answered.

She started at my use of the word and then shook her head at my statement, "Please call me Captain, or Ma'am will do in a pinch." She gave me a wry smile, "I'll never hear the end of it if you keep calling me 'My Liege'."

She looked over at Lt. Tuvok who was hovering and made reassuring movements with her hands, "I'm fine Tuvok, a bit surprised but fine. I'll even get the Doctor to make sure of that when we return to Sickbay. Would you arrange for quarters for Arana and have her armor and weapons delivered there please." She turned to me, "Arana, I know the Doctor wants you back in Sickbay to rest for a few hours. I'll escort you there now that you've identified these items."

Lt. Tuvok nodded his acknowledgement of her orders and I handed him my longsword. He took it with a raised eye and lifted it, examining the Elven runes running along the blade. "They read, Sword of the Loyal Fury," I informed him. "An interesting name as Loyal Fury is the name Torm earned when he fought Bane during the Time of Troubles. I have not heard of such a named sword before."

He raised an eyebrow at this, "Indeed. The writing is Elvish?" he asked and I nodded. He turned to the Captain, "I will see to it that Arana has quarters available to her when she is released from Sickbay, and that her items are delivered to them."

"Thank you, Tuvok." She acknowledged him and turned to me, preparing to leave. I looked at Seven inquiringly wondering if she would be accompanying us as well.

Seven noticed my look and responded, "I must return to my duties Arana. I will remain in Astrometrics."

I nodded and bowed to her, "I would not keep you from your assigned tasks, Milady. It is my hope, however, that time will not make of you a stranger to me."

Seven appeared confused by my words and the Captain said, "Arana means that she hopes you will talk with her soon Seven."

Seven nodded to the Captain and then said to me, "I would like that Arana."

"Until you grace me with your presence once again Milady, may Torm keep you safe." I replied to her.

Seven glanced at me after these words, but it seemed my oath to her had calmed her concerns that I was merely flattering her, for her eyes held surprise at my words, but no longer doubt. Slowly she nodded, "Thank you, Arana. Perhaps the Captain will permit me to assist you with your acclimation to Voyager."

The Captain looked surprised at Seven's offer but then nodded, "That sounds like an excellent idea Seven, Arana will have a lot of learning to do about the Federation and Voyager. I was thinking of having Tuvok tutor her, but perhaps two tutors would be better." The Captain turned as if to leave, then glanced back at Seven, "Perhaps you should consider changing your biosuit Seven."

Seven glanced at the bloodstains on her biosuit and nodded, "As soon as I start my scans Captain."

"Arana," the Captain said as she walked out and I turned smartly on my heel and followed her.

We returned to Sickbay where the Doctor supplied me with some type of bland liquid drink that he insisted I finish before he had me lay back down on what he termed a 'biobed' to rest. I was concerned that thoughts of my rape and torture would plague me now that events had slowed enough for me to think and prevent me from resting. To my surprise, however, I found myself so exhausted that I could not even order my thoughts enough for the memories to bother me. I fell asleep within a short while, the voices of the Doctor and Captain as they discussed her experience fading away from my consciousness.

"Good, she's asleep," said the Doctor quietly, "she needed more rest."

Janeway smiled at him, "I know you didn't want her to leave earlier, but we needed to know what the items in Astrometrics were."

"And what did you find out," the Doctor asked curiously.

"That someone, Arana believed it to be this Torm, sent us a set of armor and weapons for her. She said they were made of Mithryl, apparently a very rare metal where she comes from, given her reaction to them. They were beautiful, the armor looked like it was made of silver, but with a slight bluish sheen to it," the Captain commented.

"Hmm, and what will be happening to our guest? I assume that since the anomaly is gone we have no way of returning her?" he asked.

"Well, that's actually one of the reasons I'm here. I promised Tuvok I would have you run some scans on me." The Captain proceeded to tell the Doctor of the odd happenings in Astrometrics and of the strange glow that had surrounded her and Arana. "The voice in my head was… warm and caring, yet very stern. It reminded me of Admiral Paris in a way." Janeway tried to describe what she had felt to the Doctor.

The Doctor had already begun running a scanner over her when she had described the glow to him and now he asked, "And what exactly did this voice tell you?"

Janeway thought back, "Blessings upon your oath, my Champion. Know that you walk the path I have placed before you, and I am well pleased with your actions."

The Doctor rocked back on his heels a bit and raised an eyebrow, "So whoever or whatever this Torm is intended for Arana to be brought here and pledge her fealty to you. Interesting. Well, I've completed my scans and you'll be happy to know that there is nothing wrong with you Captain."

"Thank you Doctor," Janeway replied, "Tuvok is arranging quarters for Arana, let me know when she wakes."

"Certainly," the Doctor replied.

Janeway left Sickbay and headed to the Bridge, trying to collect her thoughts. She hoped Arana would wake up early enough for her to ask more questions of the woman before tomorrow's Senior Staff Briefing. In the meantime Alpha shift was almost over and perhaps it would be useful to see what information the computer had about that Dungeons and Dragons game it had mentioned.

Three hours later Janeway stretched and got up to replicate herself another cup of coffee. It had been interesting reading, much of the description in the game of Faerun, or the Forgotten Realms Campaign, as it was called, sounded very like what Arana had described of her Faerun. The question was why? Had one of the eugenicists groups decided to use the game as a basis for a colony perhaps? Or was Arana's Faerun in another plane of reality, one with enough contact with this plane to be the inspiration for the game?

Then there were the unusual organs and energy readings the Doctor had found during his medical scans. Was it possible that Arana could actually replicate the effect of casting a spell with them? If she could, it meant that she would make an invaluable addition to the crew, as most of the priest and paladin spells concentrated on healing and protective effects.

Janeway shuddered as she thought of the spells that wizards apparently had access to in Arana's world. The Gate spell Arana had mentioned was, as she had said, limited to the abilities of only the most powerful wizards, but even beginning wizards had formidable powers. Hopefully the wormhole that had delivered them Arana would be the closest they would get to Faerun. Unless Arana ever wanted to go back, it didn't sound like a place the Captain particularly wanted to her crew to ever have to deal with.

Suddenly Janeway's combadge chirped, "This is the Doctor, you wanted to be informed when Arana wakened, Captain."

Janeway replied, "Yes Doctor thank you, I'll be right down to show her where her quarters are."

I awoke feeling much more refreshed and alert than I had previously.

"Ah, you're awake. I'll inform the Captain," The Doctor came over to me, running an instrument up and down my body and staring intently at the readings. "You're probably feeling much better now."

"I am feeling much better, thank you for your skilled care Doctor." I replied to him.

"Certainly." He replied.

After he had spoken to the Captain he walked back to his office, leaving me sitting on the biobed waiting for her to enter Sickbay and show me to my new quarters. I wondered briefly what they would look like; I could guess that the ever present grey metal walls would be there as well.

The Captain walked in and I quickly stood and properly bowed to her, greeting her with the directed form of address, "Captain, you honor me with your attention."

She smiled at me, "I would think that you were flattering me except for your statements to Seven. So I know you're not." She paused and frowned slightly, "Arana, I know it is the custom in your land to bow to show respect, but it is not the custom to do so here. One shows respect by using the persons rank when addressing them."

"I had begun to suspect that Captain, as no one but I was following that custom. Thank you for informing me of my social impropriety." I responded to her with a smile. I had indeed uneasily noticed that I was the only one bowing, but given the lack of my knowledge of their customs had decided to follow the ones I knew until I learned what the custom was here.

"You weren't being improper, I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable," she smiled at me warmly before continuing. "Honestly, I'm curious about you and am hoping you can answer some of my questions."

"I will do my best to satisfy your curiosity, Captain." I reassured her.

"If you will follow me I will show you to your quarters. Tuvok found some for you on deck seven. They aren't large, but you won't have to share with another crewmember either. I'm sorry we couldn't arrange for better ones, but space is limited." the Captain informed, surprising me.

"I am certain they will be more than adequate Captain, I am used to simple quarters. A paladin does not covet worldly possessions." I paused and smiled then corrected myself, "Well, none except for our armor and weapons. I will confess that I will probably be attached to the armor and weapons Torm gifted me."

We had been walking through the ship throughout the conversation, including one of the odd tubes that moved, and now we seemed to have arrived at our destination.

"I would be as well, they are beautiful," agreed the Captain. "These are your quarters; we are on Deck 7 Section 9. Oh, I've almost forgotten, this is for you. You are required to wear it at all times, except, of course if you are bathing or sleeping."

She handed me one of the metal symbols I had noticed all the crew wearing and showed me how to press it against my clothing so that it would attached itself to the fabric.

"This is a communicator badge; we use them to speak to each other. You activate it by tapping it like so. The sound you just heard is the signal for an open communications channel. It is waiting for you to indicate who you wish to speak to." The Captain had reached out and tapped the badge as she spoke and I heard clearly the sound she said was for an open communications channel. "Is there anyone you would like to speak to?" the Captain asked me.

Slightly overwhelmed I spoke the name of my rescuer, "Seven, if it would not interrupt her."

The Captain smiled, "Ok, say, "Arana to Seven". Then wait for her reply, at that point the communications channel will remain open until either of you close the channel by tapping the communications badge again."

She waited and I realized she was expecting me to contact Seven, "Arana to Seven." I obediently followed her instructions and was slightly surprised to hear from the device "Seven here." I suddenly realized that the Captain's device had been the source of the mysterious voices earlier in the day.

"Excuse me, Milady for interrupting you. The Captain is instructing me in the use of my communication badge." I politely explained feeling somewhat impolite at the ease with which I could intrude upon her.

"You are not interrupting me Arana. May I inquire as to the location of your quarters?" came back the reply, curiosity apparent in the cool tones.

I thought back to what the Captain had said and replied, "Deck 7 Section 9." Looking at the Captain to make sure I was correct. She smiled and nodded to me, indicating that I had remembered the location correctly.

"Perhaps I may visit your quarters Arana." The voice of Seven queried.

"Milady you are always welcome within my quarters, I would be honored by your visit." I replied earnestly.

"Arana, you don't have to talk into the combadge, it will pick up your voice just fine if you speak normally." The Captain informed me with an amused look.

I knew I blushed slightly at the gentle correction. I could tell it was going to take me awhile to get used to all the very different things aboard this vessel.

The Captain seemed to pick up on my thoughts for she looked at me kindly, "I'm sure it won't take you long to get used to all this. Both Tuvok and Seven have agreed to teach you; between the two of them I'm certain you will be more comfortable with our technology in no time. And, in the mean time you should close the communication channel if you have nothing further to say to Seven."

I nodded, "Milady if I may take my leave of you?" I tried to remember not to bend my head as I spoke.

There was a pause and I could almost see Seven tilting her head at my statement, "You may close the communications channel Arana, I will be at your location in a few minutes to visit your quarters."

I brightened at the news, I had not been certain earlier that she meant that she would be visiting immediately. I tapped the communications badge and was satisfied to hear a second chime that I suspected indicated the channel had been closed. I glanced over at the Captain to confirm and she nodded at me.

"Well, I guess I had better show you your quarters, especially since you are expecting a guest already." The Captain smiled at me, "It's good to see you getting along so well with Seven, she needs to make more friends." The Captain motioned toward the doors that we were standing in front of, "Just step toward them, the computer will recognize you and open the door for you since these are your quarters."

I did as she instructed and we entered a medium sized rectangular room about twelve feet by ten feet. Along one of the long walls were two windows set back into the wall, the view outside held my attention, to the exclusion of everything else in the room. Outside the ship was blackness, broken only by the streaking lights going past.

"Are you alright Arana? I should have realized the view would be a shock to you." The voice of the Captain said from behind me, concern clear in the tone.

"Where… what are we traveling through Captain." I asked, wondering what strange plane this ship was traveling through.

"Space, Arana. We are traveling through the space that separates the stars, or suns as you would probably call them." The Captain explained.

"Starship." I spoke aloud, suddenly realizing the reason for the name. A ship that literally traveled between the stars.

"Yes." The Captain smiled at me.

I tore my gaze from the windows to look at the remainder of the room. Directly underneath the windows there was a couch and next to it a bed. They were built into an alcove that also provided a shelf underneath the windows. The remainder of the room was fairly bare except for a corner which held my new armor and weapons. The Captain walked over to a wall unit and showed me shelving for clothing and then directed me to another door which led to my own small bathing room.

"Its pretty bare, but you can requisition plants and perhaps some artwork for the walls to make it look more inhabited." The Captain assured me.

"It is more than acceptable, Captain," I assured her. "This is more space than I have ever had for my personal quarters."

Just then a chime sounding noise interrupted us and I looked around curiously.

"It's probably Seven, just say 'enter'." The Captain informed me.

I nodded and spoke, "Enter," and watched as the entry door opened to admit Seven. I smiled at her welcomingly, "Welcome to my quarters Seven, please sit if you would like, and you as well Captain." I indicated the couch to them and remained standing as there were no other seats. "I would offer you drinks but I do not have any as yet." I said, slightly embarrassed at being a poor host though I could do little about the situation.

"There is a replicator available in these quarters, Arana," Seven informed me, as if it solved my problem.

"I'm sorry Arana, we haven't covered that piece of equipment yet," said the Captain as she walked over to what looked like a shelf set in the wall with more pictographs located next to it.

For the next few minutes she showed me how to replicate food and beverages, using up some of her own 'replicator rations' in the process. The Captain explained to me that I would accrue these rations starting from today, but I should make every attempt to eat in the mess hall. That, of course, precipitated a discussion of how the ship was laid out and how I might find my way around it.

My head was starting to reel with all the new information and I believe it was showing in my face, for the Captain laid a hand on my arm with a compassionate look on her face, "I suspect that's enough explanations for one day, and I really wanted to ask you some questions about the world you came from."

By this time we all had beverages of different kinds, the Captain was drinking something called coffee, black; Seven was drinking a nutritional supplement and I was pleased to find that the ale the Captain had ordered for me was most palatable.

I had insisted that the two of them sit on the couch while I made myself comfortable on the floor. Now I sat up straight, "Certainly Captain, I hope that I may be able to assist you."

"The Doctor found evidence of organs inside you that appear to store energy, do you know anything about them?" she asked.

I looked at her confused, "You are speaking of things like a heart and stomach? As a healer I know something about such things. I have never heard of these energy storing organs before, though. I know that there are several organs inside people that we do not yet know the purpose of, perhaps these are the organs you are speaking of?"

The Captain nodded, "I didn't really expect that you would know about them, but I had hoped you could shed some light on their function." The Captain paused for a moment obviously thinking, "I believe that the world we come from, called Earth, had some contact with Toril approximately four hundred years ago. Around that time a game called Dungeons and Dragons was developed, it was called a role-playing game and one of the worlds it described was Toril, specifically the landmass Faerun. Have you ever heard of our world?"

I looked at her, surprised, and then thought back to my history lessons, searching my memory for any sign of a mention of the word. "Captain, I know not how your people came to hear of ours. I have never heard of a world called Earth. I am sorry that my knowledge has failed to serve you better." I told her unhappily.

The Captain looked at me, surprised, "I don't blame you for not knowing anything about Earth, Arana." she reassured me.

Seven had been quietly listening through the conversation so far, "Perhaps the information came from a person such as Arana, someone who passed through a wormhole from Faerun to Earth."

"That might be so," allowed the Captain. She paused and then asked, "This game mentioned the ability of priests and paladins to cast spells such as ones that you mentioned in Sickbay when you first woke up; ones that heal the injured."

I nodded, "Yes, all priests and paladins have some power granted by their god or goddess to cast certain spells." I could see the interest in her eyes and I thought of the simplest spell that I could demonstrate with. I decided upon a simple orison for light, and said "cala" as I gestured appropriately. I smiled at the surprised look on both their faces as the small globe of light appeared and hovered above my hand.

Seven was the first to reach out toward it using the hand that had the odd metal bands upon it. "Intriguing. The sphere gives out light, but no heat and has no apparent power source. I must obtain a tricorder Captain. Arana, how long will this phenomenon continue?"

"I can maintain the light sphere for half a day with no further drain on my abilities, Seven." I wondered what this tricorder was that she considered so essential for her to obtain.

While Seven left to obtain the tricorder the Captain had me describe the rest of my spell abilities to her. I was still attempting to explain the difference between casting a spell and my ability to heal by the laying on of hands when Seven returned with two small rectangular devices, one of which she handed to the Captain. Both of them held out the device toward my light source and looked intently at the things as the devices made occasional odd noises. I watched curiously, apparently they used the devices to obtain information about various things and I wondered what their tricorders would make of my simple globe of light.

"It is emitting light only in the visual range, the amount of energy present is enough to power the light source for 13 hours," Seven stated.

"And the energy type matches that stored by Arana's organs." Continued the Captain.

They both looked at me with keen interest, leaving me feeling slightly unsettled as I was the focus of two sets of blue grey eyes.

"That's one of the simplest spells you can cast, correct?" Inquired the Captain.

"Actually, Captain, it is an orison. Spells require a greater expenditure of energy, and, as no one requires any healing and we are not in a battle, it would do little good beyond using up my source of divine energy." I explained to the Captain.

She nodded, "I'm certain the Doctor is going to want you to duplicate this several times while he figures out exactly how you manage to produce these effects." The Captain gave me what I took to be a somewhat sympathetic smile.

"Understandable, Captain. He appears to be a scholar of sorts and they always desire to understand the why of things." I replied to her.

She gave me a smile, "I don't think I could of put it any better. Well, I'll be going. I need to finish up some reports. Seven, are you planning on staying for while?" The Captain looked inquiringly at Seven.

Seven looked curiously at me, "I would like to stay."

"Milady, consider my quarters as your quarters, you are most welcome here," I replied sincerely.

The Captain's eyes widened at my statement and then she looked somewhat amused, but for what reason I did not know. Seven tilted her head to the side and examined me and then glanced at the Captain. I could not discern the meaning of the look that passed between them, but Seven turned back to me and I thought I sensed a question there.

"Milady, I have not broken my oath to speak only the truth to you." I said to her, sensing that she doubted my words despite my previous assurance.

I could see the Captain raise an eyebrow at this, but she merely said, "Seven, if you would assist Arana with any remaining questions she has about her quarters and show her where the mess hall is I would appreciate it."

"I will comply," Seven replied simply to the Captain.

The Captain nodded to her, "Arana, I will discuss your training schedule with Tuvok and Seven tomorrow and I will have one of them discuss it with you. After a few weeks Tuvok will discuss with you what department you might want to go into eventually."

"I will await their coming on the morrow, sleep well Captain." I replied to her respectfully.

"Sleep well Arana." she replied to me, smiling and left my quarters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 5**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: T (13+)

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Summary: Arana begins to adapt to Voyager. Arana protects Seven's honor in the mess hall.

Revision History: 8/17/04; 9/11/04; 2/16/05

* * *

I turned back to Seven after the Captain had left, "Milady, could you tell me more about how this ship works? How do the doors know that someone is approaching? And how did the doors to these quarters know that I was approaching, whereas they did not open for you?"

The doors had been intriguing me all day, I had first assumed that they must be magical but after the discussion with the Captain as to what spells I could cast and what they did I reevaluated that assumption. I was beginning to think that these people did not know anything about magic at all; they did however seem to know a lot about building interesting things.

Seven paused a moment then began to explain how the doors on the ship worked, which lead to her explaining what sensors were and how they detected the approach of people on the ship. At my insistence she told me how to allow her to enter my quarters if I was not there.

When she finished and I had changed the door settings I caught her looking at me with what I thought was curiosity. "Milady?" I asked.

She raised the brow with the curious metal jewelry about it and I glanced at it momentarily, "You look as though you have a question you want to ask me. Pardon me my forwardness if I am wrong."

Seven stared at me in a manner I was becoming familiar with, a steady direct stare that I admired for its unflinching honest appraisal. "You have not inquired about my implants."

I was puzzled by the word, "Implants? You mean the metal about your eye and hand? I assumed they were jewelry of a type, I see I was incorrect. If I have offended you through my ignorance Milady, I apologize for any hurt I caused."

"You have not," she assured me. Seven paused for a moment and then seeing that I would not press her for details, began a dry unemotional recital of how she came to have her implants. I was happy I had sat down on the couch next to her for her story stunned me.

Taken as a six year old by a people known as the Borg she had been 'assimilated' as she called it. Her explanation of assimilation was too technical for me to fully understand but one thing was clear, a person who was assimilated lost their ability to think of themselves as an individual and became part of a group mind. She had grown up in something called a maturation chamber which apparently speeded the process of growth such that she was fully mature in half the time it would normally take.

When she came out of the maturation chamber the Borg had replaced her left arm and eye with mechanical devices. Seven explained that she had mechanical devices throughout her body, even in her blood, and she would not be able to survive without them now. Before the Captain had freed her from the Collective, which was another name for the Borg I gathered, she had served the Borg Queen as her tertiary adjunct.

She seemed quite calm as she told me that she had assisted while she was a Borg in the assimilation of several species, wiping entire worlds of their populations. Yet I understood why she was telling me, there was a tension in her, and she refused to meet my eyes until she finished telling me of how she had met Captain Janeway and been subsequently unwillingly separated from the Collective.

My heart ached for her, apparently there were some on board who blamed her for her actions while she had been a Borg, and now she would not accept my friendship until I knew of her past.

I had run into the same attitude myself; there were those in the Order that blamed me for my slavery and the use my body had been put to. I had come to understand that there would always be those that for whatever reason, would blame the victim for the crime that they had suffered.

At some point in the story she got up and turned to look out the windows as she spoke, standing motionless with her arms behind her back as if she were standing at attention.

When she finished she turned to look at me with that wonderfully direct look. I met her gaze trying to let her see that I held none of her past against her. "I am saddened that you have had such an experience in your life Milady. It is a miracle that you were freed from the Collective by Captain Janeway and were able to save my life today."

"If I had not been assimilated I would not be present on Voyager to save you. I would still rather have not been assimilated Arana." Seven stated.

"Milady that was not my intent, my intent was to show that even out of tragedy blessings may be found. I most humbly beg your pardon for my ill phrasing." I said earnestly and with no little anguish.

"I believe the human saying is 'every cloud has a silver lining'." Said Seven. She still had not responded to my apology and I realized that the subject of her past must still be too painful for her to take a philosophical view of it. Not surprising, I berated myself for my clumsiness, since for her it was only a few years ago whereas my past was now over ten years ago.

"Milady, I should not have spoken so. Your pain is still too fresh to take such a view of it, unlike mine which is old and scarred over. It was never my intention to cause you pain. Milady, what penance must I do to return myself to a state of grace with you," I beseeched her.

Seven looked surprised by this statement; I believe it took her a few seconds to work out what I had said. "You have not hurt me Arana; therefore there is no need for penance. Your statement was accurate. If I had not been assimilated I would not be in the Delta Quadrant to assist Voyager with building the Astrometrics Lab. I would not have been on duty and I would not have gone through the wormhole to save you."

Seven paused and I did not speak yet, sensing that there was more she wanted to say, "Several times my Borg implants and assimilated knowledge have saved members of this crew and Voyager. Yet many of the crew still resent and fear me for being Borg."

It was as I had thought then; the primary sources of her pain were the people who blamed her for her actions while she was a Borg. The ones who would not see beyond her past to the person she was now. I wondered that they could not see the gentle good soul that shone out so strongly from her eyes?

I knew what my penance must be, and I hoped that by sharing my past and experiences I would help her understand hers better. "I am familiar with the experience of being held accountable for things that I had no ability to control. It is very painful to have one's peers, who should understand that you were the victim, blame you for what happened."

I paused for a second gathering my thoughts, "Milady, the things I am about to speak of are still painful for me to remember even though it has been over ten years since they occurred. I would ask you to keep in confidence the details of what I am about to relate to you."

Seven's full attention was on me and I met her gaze directly, "You wish me to not relate what you will tell me to anyone not even Captain Janeway?"

"I shall most likely tell Captain Janeway myself at some point, you may share what I tell you with her if you feel it necessary. I would ask though that you do not speak with anyone else Milady. I still feel shame at some of what I was forced to do, I would not be comfortable with many people knowing the specifics of my childhood." I replied to her acknowledging that in many ways I was still not completely healed from that time, perhaps I never would be.

Seven nodded, "I will comply. I will only tell Captain Janeway if she requires the information."

I nodded and began speaking, "My mother was captured in one of the many raids between Aglarond and Thay while she was pregnant with me and sold as a slave. Because of her status when I was born I was a slave as well. Despite that I was not unhappy as a very young child. Our master was not an unkind man to his slaves and we had enough food, clothing and shelter. It was fairly unusual state for slaves in Thay as I had the mischance to learn later.

My master owed another man a large sum of money and to pay it off he sold me and two other young female slaves to the man, I was twelve years of age at the time. My new master took all of us as body slaves, something I pray my old master did not know of before he sold us to such a use. I lived as such until I was bought at the age of sixteen by a priest of Ilmater and freed. That past is the reason I became a priest of Ilmater myself, and eventually a Champion of Torm."

I paused and looked up at Seven, my eyes had fell away from hers at some point during my recital and I could tell that she was thinking, "I have searched my memory and I cannot find a reference to the term body slave. Clarify… please," asked Seven.

I nodded, "It speaks well of your culture that you do not know the meaning of the term, Milady. A body slave's duties include bathing and dressing one's master as well as taking care of their physical needs."

Seven tilted her head to the side then I could see she understood the meaning of my words for a fleeting expression of anger crossed her face, "This behavior was permissible?" definite tones of anger were apparent in her clipped words.

"I was a slave, Milady. My master could do whatever he pleased with me, a slave has no rights they are only property in Thay," I explained. Seven frowned slightly and I continued with my explanation, "What I have just told you I do not consider private information, you may share it with others if you feel it necessary. The specifics of my situation I would prefer you not to share except with Captain Janeway."

Seven nodded sharply, obviously still angered, "Slavery is not permitted on Federation member worlds. Your world does not seem a very civilized one."

I smiled at her, "Faerun is a mixture of contrasts, Milady. In most kingdoms slavery is forbidden, in some, such as Mulhorand, slaves have certain rights. It was my misfortune that I was taken to one of two kingdoms where slaves have no rights. Some kingdoms in Faerun are very civilized and some are barbaric."

I proceeded to tell her some of the details of my existence, the beatings, and the parties. I finished speaking of that part of my past and said, "Those are the details that I would prefer not many other people know, the memories still pain me even now. I do not know if they will ever not pain me to think of them." I paused and examined Seven's face, it was paler I thought and I could see disquiet in her eyes at what I had told her.

I had not told her of my past for her pity though so I continued. "When I first began my training as a paladin there were many who thought I was unsuitable because of my past. They thought I had shown weakness because I let myself be used the way I had. I suppose they thought I should have found a way to kill myself instead of living. Some of them still resent me and do not understand how Torm could have chosen me to be one of his Champions. They do not understand that it is my past and my compassion for those who still suffer that is my source of strength."

I continued speaking, "I understand how it feels to be blamed for something you had no control over, the outrage over being blamed for being a victim. You were a child when you were taken and your ability to control you own actions stripped away from you, as was I. Indeed I had more control than you did, I at least could have chosen to kill myself. You did not even have that option open to you. I do not blame you for anything you did while you were a Borg; it is your actions now that you have control over them that matter."

"You have found a 'silver lining' then," Seven stated unemotionally. Her eyes though told a slightly different story, they were darker then they had been and looked at me solemnly.

"Yes I have several silver linings. But sometimes, Milady, I too wish that I had not lived through the things I did. If I had not thought I doubt I would be the person you see before you today, I could not be... that past has too thoroughly shaped the person I have become." I did not drop my eyes from her eyes as I said this, and I could see that she understood my meaning. I thought I saw some resentment there as well, which I could understand, it was not something I wanted to hear either when I was younger and my memories fresher.

I could see that my words were not persuading her as I had wanted, so I took a different tactic. I held out my hand for her left one, the one with the exoskeleton banding as she had called it. Hesitantly she held it out and I gripped it with my own marveling at how flexible the banding seemed to be, how it was not rough to the touch at all though it was ridged and that it was the same temperature as her flesh.

"Is it safe for you to show me these assimilation tubules you spoke of?" I asked and she nodded frowning slightly. Seven made as to draw her hand away from mine but I shook my head and she stared at me questioningly for a moment, and then out of the back of her hand extended two slender metallic tubes. I looked at them curiously and raised my other hand to touch them looking at her inquiringly as I did so. Her eyes were wide as I asked, "May I touch them Milady."

Seven nodded hesitantly and finished raising my hand to touch the tubules, which were very smooth and slick feeling. I debated the next move I wanted to take, wondering if I it was wise, and then shrugged internally. If she accidentally assimilated me I would trust the Doctor to remove the implants as she had told me he had done for her.

I slipped off the couch and knelt in front of her and brought her metal covered hand to my lips and pressing them briefly against it. I could feel the tubules against my throat as I did so and I paused there for a moment then looked up at her. She was standing there with an odd look on her face, her left brow was raised and in her eyes I could tell she was wondering if I was perhaps mad. "Milady, I trust you with my very life, without any reservations."

I could see the wonder in Seven's eyes as she looked at me and I noted the tubules slowly retracting back into the back of the hand that I still held. I released her hand reluctantly and stood up waiting to see if she would say anything. She still stared at me silently and I gave her a wistful smile and almost without my volition I found my hand reaching up to gently touch the metal about her eye. Surprised by my own action I shook myself and dropped my hand back to my side and said "Milady, I would never intentionally hurt you."

Seven seemed to shake herself out of whatever emotion had gripped her since my action and she replied, "No one has ever touched my assimilation tubules without fear except for the Doctor when he examines my implants. And he cannot be assimilated." She said the last with a clear tone of wonder. Then proving that she was wise she said, "Apology and penance accepted Arana, though they were not necessary."

My stomach choose that moment to grumble loudly in displeasure at its empty state and I gave her and embarrassed look. "Perhaps it is time for you to show me how to find the mess hall Milady."

The seriousness that had been between us after my tale had been broken by the rumbling of my stomach and now Seven looked amused as she said, "I understand that Mr. Neelix's attempt at tonight's dinner was considered acceptable from the comments I overheard earlier. Hopefully it is true; his attempts at cooking are often spicier than most of the crew appreciates."

"Indeed," I commented, "then dinner will be an adventure everyday."

Her mouth twitched briefly and I felt rewarded for my attempt at humor. I felt a sudden sense of caution as I considered some of my more recent actions, then she turned and I couldn't help but notice the graceful way she moved, the elegant line of her neck, and the outline of her face. Suddenly I inhaled sharply as I realized that I was rapidly becoming very attracted to my rescuer.

Seven stopped her movement toward the door and glanced at me, raising a curious brow. Her gaze shifted suddenly to an analytical one that made me slightly nervous given where my thoughts had so recently taken me. "You are… attracted to me," she said suddenly.

I paused surprised and wondered if my thoughts had been so obvious, Seven continued, "Your eyes dilate when you look at me, your body temperature rises 0.3 degrees whenever this occurs and your facial capillaries expand."

I straightened my shoulders and took in a deep breath, "Yes Milady, I am attracted to you. I hope I do not offend you or break any cultural taboos by doing so. If I have I ask that you forgive me."

Seven paused for a moment examining me, "You do not offend me and you have not broken any cultural taboos. The Federation is accepting of relationships between people of the same sex."

"I am not surprised; any organization that would put a strong woman like Captain Janeway in command would be an enlightened one." I commented thinking of how many men I had met that could not have dealt with the Captain because of their prejudices against women.

Seven considered my statement and nodded; she gave me one last searching look then directed me to follow her into the corridor. I noted that she did not comment whether or not she found my attraction to her acceptable or not, but was uncertain how to interpret her silence on the matter. Once we were in the corridor she stopped and demonstrated to me how I could ask the computer for directions. On our way to the mess hall she tried to explain to me what exactly the computer was that she spoke of so often.

I know I did not clearly understand her explanation, the best I could do was understand that it was some type of entity that operated certain things on the ship. I finally admitted that I probably needed more background information before I could comprehend what she was trying to describe to me and she glanced at me and agreed.

We waked through a set of double doors with round cutouts midway down their length. Inside the room were several tables, one wall had windows like those found in my quarters. To the right behind a tall bar stood and odd looking man. His hair was crested as a bird, and his eyes were yellow. He had an odd facial structure with a ridge running from the corner of his eye upward and around the top of his skull bracketing his crest-like hair. A central ridge ran from his forehead into his hairline and his cheeks sported a sprouting of hair on his lower jaw line that ran back to his ears.

"Mr. Neelix," Seven greeted the odd looking man. Who looked up and smiled at us, "Ah Seven, and you must be our new guest Champion of Torm Arana."

I smiled in return, "Yes, Mr. Neelix, please call me Arana or if you are required to be formal Champion Arana."

"Champion Arana, I like the sound of that," the man said with a large smile. "I guess you're here to try my wonderful Leola root stew, I've cut down quite a bit on the spices. The crew doesn't seem to appreciate spicy food." Mr. Neelix said in a low voiced aside to me.

"I am certain that it will be delicious Mr. Neelix, I happen to like spicy dishes, helps one stay healthy," I assured him with a smile as he handed me a tray with a large bowl of thick soup and a wedge of some type of bread.

"Seven are you having some as well or just your usual nutritional supplement," Mr. Neelix asked.

"My nutritional supplement will be adequate Mr. Neelix," Seven assured him.

I hid a smile and wondered what a nutritional supplement might be, within a few moments Mr. Neelix returned with a brownish looking liquid in a tall glass and handed it to Seven.

"Please choose a place to sit," Seven encouraged me. There were only a few people in the mess hall and I choose a seat next to the windows and eyed my stew keeping in mind Seven's comment.

Tentatively I tried some and found that it was actually tasty, not particularly spicy at all compared to some of the cuisine of Faerun. Seven eyed me as I began to eat with more enthusiasm and I smiled at her, "It is rather good Milady, what is that you are drinking?"

"A nutritional supplement, I find it an efficient way of attaining my nutritional needs. I find Mr. Neelix's cooking often too difficult for me to digest." Seven admitted.

"You have a sensitive stomach, Milady?" I inquired.

"No I do not, it is just Mr. Neelix's choice of spices that seem to disagree with me," Seven explained.

I nodded and out of the corner of my eye noticed Mr. Neelix approaching, "You seem to be enjoying my stew, Champion Arana," he commented beaming.

"Indeed Mr. Neelix, it is quite tasty. I find it very similar to Calishite cooking," I assured him.

"I don't believe I've ever heard of the Calishites," he admitted after a short while.

"They live near the Shining Sea in a very hot and dry land, their cooking is often quite spicy." I informed him.

"The Shining Sea?" he questioned.

"It is on Faerun, the realm I come from Mr. Neelix," I answered. I was growing to like him, he looked odd but I could see that he had a good soul and had a deep desire to help others.

I could tell that the few others in the mess hall were also interested in our conversation, for the conversation level fell to almost nothing while I was speaking. "Well, you will have to tell me more about their cooking sometime Champion Arana." Mr. Neelix informed me.

"I shall look forward to discussing it Mr. Neelix," I assured him and politely rose while he left. I noticed the noise level in the room increase as our conversation ended, as those around me started their conversations again. Seven noticed it as well I could see as she glanced around with a slightly disapproving look.

I chuckled lightly and Seven turned and stared at me curiously, "It's natural to be curious about a stranger, it's actually reassuring to me to see that it holds true here."

"It is familiar," said Seven nodding.

Suddenly I heard a comment from one of the men at the table, "She's a Borg, can you imagine what it would be like to bed her, she'd probably give you an efficiency report afterward. I agree though she's got the looks to be a hot lay."

I glanced at Seven and saw the tightness around her mouth indicating that she had heard the comment as well and found it offensive. I got up and walked toward the two men. They stopped their conversation as I came up to them and looked at me in surprise.

"It is considered impolite in my culture to speak thus about any woman, perhaps I should inquire with Captain Janeway as to whether or not such behavior is considered acceptable here?" I asked them sternly. They gaped at me rather like landed fish and I crossed my arms over my chest and stared back at them levelly.

Finally one of them spoke up, "No Ma'am it is not, and I apologize… You don't have to contact the Captain over this do you?"

I stared at him for a moment, "I am not the one you offended with your ungentlemanly behavior. Therefore I am not the one you need to apologize to."

The man, who had not given me his name, swallowed noticeably and stared at Seven then at me. Finally he got up and went over to her, "I apologize for my words, Seven. I won't do it again." He glanced at me but I looked at Seven and he looked back at her.

Seven looked at me for a moment before turning back to him then said, "Your apology is accepted Crewman Geran."

I waited until he had come back to his seat and nodded to him then focused my attention on the remaining male who had been avoiding my eyes. "I believe an apology is called for on your part as well…" I waited for the unknown male to answer then glanced at Crewman Geran.

He hesitantly said, "Gerald it won't hurt you to apologize."

Gerald replied, "I'm not apologizing to the Borg."

I shook my head and asked Crewman Geran, "What is this man's last name Crewman Geran."

"Gerald," he hissed urgently at his friend who got up and headed toward the door.

I tapped the badge as Captain Janeway had taught me,"Champion Arana to Captain Janeway," I spoke calmly. The unnamed crewman paused and looked at me shocked; apparently he had not expected me to follow through on my statement.

Shortly the reply came back with a curious tone, "Captain Janeway here Arana, what is it?"

"A matter of discipline Captain, it concerns a Crewman Geran, who has apologized for his insulting words, and another crewman who refuses to give me his name. I am uncertain how to proceed since the second crewman will not apologize for his unmannerly conduct and continues his insults," I explained to the Captain.

"You are in the mess hall Arana?" she asked.

"Yes, Captain," I replied.

"I'll be down there momentarily, where is this crewman now?" she asked.

"He is still in the mess hall, though he did state his intention to leave earlier." I asked Crewman Geran once again calmly knowing that Captain Janeway could hear the conversation, "What is this man's last name Crewman Geran."

The entire mess hall was now unashamedly staring at the scene in front of them, Seven was one of the few still seated observing the scene intently. My eyes met her's and I nodded to her gravely, and then focused my attention back on Crewman Geran who finally hesitantly answered me, "Holson."

"The second crewman's name is Holson Captain Janeway," I informed her just in case she had not heard the man's reply.

"Keep them there until I arrive Arana, Janeway out," came the reply then my communications badge chirped again indicating that the channel had been closed.

I kept a close eye on my both of them while I waited for the Captain to enter the mess hall. Crewman Holson glared at me and moved toward the mess hall doors again, and I reached out and put a restraining hand on his shoulder. He twisted around trying to escape the hold but I kept my grasp on his shoulder gripping his uniform and he grabbed my hand trying to pry it away. Despite his attempts I was able to easily keep my hold and was not particularly concerned that he would be able to free himself.

Around me I could hear people talking in quiet excited voices as they waited to see what would happen next. I gathered I was providing them with a quite a lot of entertainment. I glanced over to check on Seven wondering what she thought of my behavior. It was expected in the Order of Torm that a Paladin would protect the honor of a woman, but from the reactions of those here my behavior was anything but usual. She nodded to me but I could see the uneasiness in her eyes at the events I had initiated.

The doors to the mess hall opened and Captain Janeway and Lt. Commander Tuvok walked into the mess hall. The Captain looked appraisingly at the situation and said, "You may release him now Arana."

I nodded to her, "Yes, Captain," and released the man stepping back away from him as I did so. Crewman Holson turned and glared at me while rubbing his shoulder where I had gripped it. Lt. Cdr. Tuvok looked at Crewman Holson and then at me and I thought I saw an approving look in his eye at the restrained method I had used to secure the stubborn man.

The Captain stood with her hands on her hips and looked around the room, suddenly those who had finished their meals decided they should leave and within a short time there were only a few people left in the mess hall. Those who were left pretended to give their full attention to their meals.

Finally the Captain said to me, "Arana would you explain the situation here please."

I bowed to her slightly and replied, "Yes, Captain. I was eating Mr. Neelix's Leola Root Stew when I overheard Crewman Geran reply to a comment made by Crewman Holson in a manner which clearly indicated that they were speculating about Seven in a lewd manner. The commentary was derogatory in nature and loud enough for Seven and I to hear it from several tables away. I would prefer not to repeat what was said in this public setting Captain." I paused to see if the Captain was agreeable and she nodded sharply to me. The Captain's face had gotten far sterner as I had spoken and now she was directing a powerfully disproving glare at the two crewmen.

"I walked over and informed them that such behavior was not acceptable in my culture and inquired as to whether or not you would consider such behavior acceptable here Captain." She shot me a quick look at that and nodded for me to continue, "Crewman Geran replied that you would not and freely apologized to Seven for his ill behavior and assured her it would not occur again. Seven accepted his apology. I then attempted to get Crewman Holson to follow his friends example, as did Crewman Geran, but he refused on the basis that Seven was a Borg and he would not apologize to her. He then attempted to leave and I contacted you, when he attempted to leave again I restrained him."

In a tight voice the Captain said, "Tuvok will you escort Crewman Holson to my ready room. Crewman Geran, Seven and Arana, you will accompany me to my ready room please." Her tone did not make it a request but a polite command and I admired her handling of the situation.

An almost simultaneous "Yes Captain" came from the three of us and it was all I could do not to smile. Lt. Cdr. Tuvok escorted Crewman Holson out of the mess hall while the Captain and Crewman Geran waited for Seven and I to dispose of what was left of our dinners. Then the three of us preceded at a quick pace though the ship. I got a brief glance at what Seven identified as the Bridge before we stepped into what I assumed was the Captain's Ready Room as Lt. Cdr. Tuvok and Crewman Holson were already present.

The Captain took a seat behind the desk and looked at me, "Now if you would repeat what you heard Arana."

I repeated Crewman Geran's words to her and watched as controlled anger became apparent on her face at the crudeness of them. I then told her of Crewman Holson's comment about not apologizing due to Seven's Borg past.

I was surprised that through all this Crewman Holson had remained silent with a defiant look on his face. I had expected him to verbally protest his innocence, in my experience young men like him seemed to think they had the right to say whatever they wanted about someone they felt they were justified in loathing.

"Seven do you have anymore details to add?" the Captain asked after I was finished.

"About this incident? No, Captain, Arana was thorough in describing what happened." Seven answered.

I caught the slight emphasis on the first phrase and wondered if this had not been the first time Seven had overheard these two discussing her. The thought made me clench my jaw slightly and give the two crewmen a narrow eyed glance.

The Captain was looking at Seven appraisingly, "Have you overheard any similar discussions by either of these two crewmen Seven?"

Seven shifted slightly showing her unease, "Yes, Captain. Crewman Holson frequently has such discussions involving such speculations when I am present."

I noticed Captain Janeway's face turn from moderately angry to icily furious and I was sure that my face mirrored the emotion. Crewman Geran gave both of us a frightened look and tried to shrink into himself, and Crewman Holson had paled and was starting to look nervous at the revelation.

In an ironclad voice of command the Captain asked, "How long has this harassment been going on Seven?"

I noticed that Crewman Holson flinch at her phrasing right before Seven answered, "It started six months and thirteen days after you separated me from the Borg Captain."

The Captain looked at her and opened her mouth for a second then shut it, "You and I will discuss why you didn't bring this to my attention earlier later Seven."

"Yes, Captain," came the uncertain reply. I felt sorry for her but I understood what the Captain was feeling. One never liked the feeling as a leader that a disciplinary problem of this nature had been ongoing for so long without anyone informing you.

"Seven, Arana please wait outside. Seven you can take this opportunity to show Arana around the Bridge," the Captain ordered us. I bowed to the Captain and Seven nodded and then we left the ready room as ordered. I approved, it was seldom productive to discipline someone publicly. I had been forced to do so twice while I was serving as the Senior Knight in charge of training, and it had been a difficult matter for me to decide both times.


	6. Chapter 6

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 6**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: T (13+)

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Summary: Seven makes some changes.

Revision History: 8/17/04; 9/11/04; 03/17/05

* * *

Seven began showing me around the Bridge and greeting what she termed the "beta shift personnel". Seven first named the various stations and then proceeded to give a very basic description of what the person serving at the station did. Having seen how confused technical explanations left me, she choose her words carefully as she explained the stations to me 

Finally Crewman Geran left the ready room. He looked a bit pale but nodded politely to us as he left, leading me to believe he had probably received a through dressing down but not an unduly harsh punishment. Seven and I were standing near the Science station as she looked over what she called the "sensor readings". From her description, these sensor readings provided information about the ship's surroundings.

Crewman Holson came out of the Captain's ready room escorted by Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok. I sighed, recognizing from the man's smoldering, resentful gaze that he was more than willing to blame us for his situation rather than himself.

Seven glanced at me as I gazed at his retreating form, followed by that of Lt. Cmdr Tuvok. "You regret your actions in the mess hall, Arana?" I turned to her and saw the uncertainty in her eyes.

"No, Milady. I do not; such churlish behavior cannot be tolerated, especially among a closed community such as this ship. I sigh because the young man cannot accept that he was the cause of his own failing, not you or I. Such a lack of acceptance and the hatred he continues to bear you is very damaging to his soul," I explained "as well as preventing him from changing his behavior."

Seven looked thoughtful at my words. "You are concerned for Crewman Holson, then."

I smiled at her, "I am concerned with his well being, yes. I am, after all, a priestess as well as a paladin."

Seven nodded sharply, acknowledging my words but, I thought, resistant to them. Undoubtedly she would like to continue seeing Crewman Holson in a purely negative light given the history between them.

"I am also concerned with your well being, Seven. Being the object of that type of behavior is… well, unsettling is probably understating the negative emotions that you are feeling as a result of his actions."

"While I find his comments offensive and juvenile, Crewman Holson's opinions mean nothing to me," Seven replied coolly.

I searched her eyes wondering if her words were true, and saw perhaps the barest flicker of doubt in them. If the words had hurt her, she had the emotions deeply buried.

Just then the Captain appeared in the doorway to her Ready Room. "Seven, Arana." She motioned for us to enter and we strode over and entered the room behind her.

"Crewman Holson has been confined to his quarters for a week for breaking Starfleet regulations," Captain Janeway stated. "What I want to know is why you didn't bring his behavior to my attention earlier, before I had to place an official reprimand for sexual harassment in his file, Seven."

"Captain?" said Seven uncertainly, obviously not expecting Janeway's reprimand.

"Seven, you are aware that you are supposed to inform the Captain or First Officer of instances of harassment, correct?" asked Janeway.

"Yes, Captain," Seven replied in a monotone.

I could tell from the tiredness about the Captain's eyes that it had been a long day for her. Though mine had been more devastating, I at least, had the advantage of a few hours sleep; I doubted she had gotten any yet. Currently she was giving Seven a tired, frustrated look; and I gathered that Seven's tone traditionally heralded a less than forthcoming exchange between the two.

Tentatively, I spoke. "Perhaps it would assist the Captain if you explained…," I paused searching for the correct word to get Seven to open up, "concisely why you felt it was not necessary to mention such behavior to her."

Two sets of eyes responded to my question; both of them, I thought, seemed thankful for the diversion.

"Comments about my attire, my mammary glands, and my body shape are relatively commonplace. I would have to report several crewmembers under the Starfleet guidelines. My studies of humanity indicate that this course of action would only increase the prejudice the crew displays toward me," said Seven.

I made an assenting sound, remembering how hard it was for the half-orc squire who had been one of my trainees, not to mention my own experiences with discrimination.

"You have a comment to make, Arana?" inquired the Captain.

"Yes, Ma'am, Seven's comment reminded me of the difficulties I had when I was the Senior Knight in charge of training. There was a half-orc squire among the recruits. While he did not have the problems with sexual harassment Seven does, he did have problems with being harassed due to his father's race."

"Orc?" inquired the Captain curiously.

"Admittedly a usually warlike and savage race," I said. "The recruit in question was the result of an orc war party that attacked his village. During the raid his mother was raped by one of the war party. Usually such children are killed before birth by the mother through the use of certain herbs. His mother, however, decided to keep her child and I am pleased that she did so. The young man is a credit to the Order of Torm; in all his actions there is gentleness and consideration for others. He did not have an easy time of it early on in the order though."

I could clearly detect the curiosity in the Captains gaze now, and was not surprised when she asked, "So what did you do?"

"Judging others by their race or their social standing is frequently the way of things in my world. However, it is unacceptable behavior in a Knight of Torm. I and the other training Knights spent a week observing the recruits, noting who the ringleaders and instigators were in the young man's treatment. The following week we began each morning reciting the Code of Behavior expected of a Knight followed by a run in full armor and weaponry."

I could see the Captain wince at my comment of full armor and weaponry and I paused a moment to smile slyly. "As we stated to them, it was our hope that the pounding would help the words move from their brains into their hearts. To assist in this, we repeated the words at full volume in the instigators' ears during the runs. After a week, several of the ringleaders had decided that the Order was not the place for them, and the ones remaining had experienced a change of heart." I paused again, then mused, "Perhaps the fact that it was a rainy week and the roads were muddy played a part in their decision making."

At this the Captain gaped at me for a moment, then closed her mouth and gave me a measuring look. Finally her mouth twitched and I could see the amusement in her eyes. "I don't doubt that it did. Unfortunately those training methods are not available to me, and in this situation I think it might actually be counter-productive as it would most likely exacerbate the hostility. However, it does give me an idea."

The Captain continued, "I think it's time I reminded everyone about the relevant Starfleet regulations dealing with the treatment of fellow crewmembers. Apparently quite a few of them have forgotten that Starfleet takes a very dim view of harassment."

Seven had been looking thoughtful throughout our conversation, now she spoke up. "Captain, for some time now, I have been considering experimenting with different styles of clothing. When you first separated me from the collective the esthetics of clothing was irrelevant to me; I simply wore the bio-suits that the Doctor designed. However, I have started to appreciate the appeal of ascetics lately, and I find the design of my bio-suits quite…lacking."

I saw the captain smile at the last word, matching the smile that had appeared on my face as well. I suspected that the majority of the crew would have used a word that was far less polite.

Seven lifted an eyebrow at our smiles and continued. "I believe an added benefit of different clothing would be to reduce the amount of improper comments directed at me, as I have noticed that the form fitting nature of my bio-suits seems to elicit most of this commentary."

The Captain rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Seven, you don't have to change your clothing just because a few members of this crew have forgotten what constitutes acceptable behavior for Starfleet personnel."

"I am not proposing this solely because of this incident. As I said, at first what I wore was irrelevant to me. However, that is no longer the case; the situation is merely an additional reason to begin my experimentation at this time instead of at some point in the future." Seven hesitated and then continued, "The bio-suit technology allows me to function more efficiently. I would prefer to incorporate the technology into whatever I decide to wear."

Captain Janeway nodded. "Do you have any ideas as to what kind of design you want for your bio-suit?"

Seven hesitated for a moment before admitting, "No, I have not decided upon a design yet."

"Ok, how about a jumpsuit over your biosuit? Since the bio-suit essentially has to be against your skin to give any benefit why not just use it as an undergarment and use a jumpsuit over the top?" the Captain asked.

Seven considered her question for a few moments. "Depending on the fabric of the jumpsuit, that should not decrease the efficiency of the biosuit."

The Captain turned in her chair to look at a square object attached to the desk; I realized that it was the same as the one located in my quarters. The Captain had described its usage to me earlier in the day and had called it a console. She tapped out commands on it for a few minutes, then turned the screen around so that Seven and I could see it. Upon the screen was a picture of a uniform similar to the one all the crew wore except that it was entirely black. The garment underneath was white with teal piping around the collar, instead of the grey the crew wore.

"This is a uniform commonly worn by civilian scientific staff on starbases and starships," Captain Janeway commented.

Seven examined the picture and the information displayed along side it. "The modifications you have made in the structure and material will allow me to wear the item over a bio-suit. You also changed the design of the bio-suit to look like a standard undergarment," she acknowledged approvingly.

Captain Janeway looked at Seven thoughtfully for a moment. "If you want to start studying for a provisional commission, I would have no objections to you wearing one of these." She touched her own uniform.

Seven shook her head, "I am not interested in joining Starfleet at this time; the civilian jumpsuit will be acceptable."

Captain Janeway examined her for a few moments longer then nodded briefly. She turned the console around again and spent another few moments tapping away at it. Finally she stopped. "I just authorized the modifications to the standard uniform and authorized you to wear it," she informed Seven. "I also transferred the replicator pattern to the replicator in Cargo Bay 2, and, since I noticed you have access to Arana's quarters, to her replicator as well."

The Captain hesitated for a moment and gave Seven an undecipherable look. "Perhaps we need to revisit obtaining quarters for you, Seven." She held up a hand as Seven opened her mouth, forestalling whatever Seven was about to say. "I know the Cargo Bay is the best location on the ship for your alcoves; I think there are other issues that need to be considered, though, besides convenience. But we can discuss the matter at another time."

Suddenly there was a chime at the door similar to the one I had heard earlier in the day when Seven arrived at my quarters. The Captain looked over at the door. "Enter.". Lt. Tuvok and another man entered the room. The new person wore black and red like the Captain; he was an older male, thicker about the shoulders and trunk than Lt. Tuvok, with a distinctive tattoo above his left eye. He held himself alertly, and I could tell he was a warrior. Whereas the Captain radiated energy, he seemed to hold his tightly inside him.

He looked me over curiously for a moment, then held out his hand. "You must be Champion Arana; I'm Commander Chakotay, First Officer of Voyager."

I reached out and grasped him firmly by the forearm; he looked slightly startled at my action, but it quickly vanished and he gripped my forearm in return.

I restrained myself from bowing to him after he released my forearm, contenting myself with a respectful nod. "I am honored to meet you, Commander Chakotay."

He nodded to me, "I look forward to speaking with you further, Arana."

The Captain broke in, "Seven, Arana, I need to speak with Chakotay and Tuvok about this evening's events. Seven, if you would make sure Arana finds her quarters I would appreciate it."

Seven nodded in answer and I replied, "Good evening Captain, may your rest be peaceful. Gentlemen, may yours be peaceful as well."

"Thank you, Arana," replied the Captain with a small smile.

We left the Bridge and headed toward my quarters. Along the way, Seven mentioned that Voyager had four other separated Borg aboard. One, a teenage boy, had been designed by his parents as a weapon against the Borg. He had originally been placed back with his parents, but Seven had found out they were lying about how he had been taken by the Borg. Voyager had returned to find that Icheb's parents had already placed him in danger, and had just barely been able to save the boy and itself from being assimilated. After his parent's actions, the Captain had given Icheb permission to stay on Voyager permanently.

The other three children were younger, and the Captain was hopeful that they would be able to reunite them with their families. I could tell from Seven's tone that she was not particularly happy about this; but I gathered that she was resigned to it. I hoped for the children's sake that their parents were more deserving than Icheb's had been.

By this time we had arrived at my quarters, and Seven followed me inside, continuing her discussion of the Borg children. Currently the children were 'regenerating,' a term Seven quickly explained was their equivalent to sleeping, and which to some extent also provided energy to them that reduced the amount of solid food they needed to ingest.

By this point my internal clock was informing me it was late in the night, and I could not suppress a yawn of tiredness. Embarrassed by the action, I apologized to Seven, "Milady, please excuse my rudeness."

"You are tired and need to sleep," Seven stated. after looking at me for a moment. "I should check to make sure the children are regenerating properly and complete my analysis of the sensor data from today."

I grinned at her ruefully, "I look that tired do I?"

"Yes," Seven answered shortly.

I chuckled, "I will take your advice and sleep then. I look forward to starting my studies tomorrow with you and Lt. Tuvok. What time should I arrive at the mess hall for breakfast?"

"The Borg children and I eat at 0700 hours… If you do not mind their company, we could arrive at your quarters at 0650 and you could accompany us," Seven finished somewhat hesitantly.

"I am honored by your invitation, Milady. I look forward to meeting Icheb, Metozi, Azan and Rebi on the morrow."

I received a slight smile at this, most likely because I had remembered the children's names. Seven stepped forward and stared intently for a moment at my face; I was puzzled but held my silence, wondering why she was examining me so closely. "Your eyes were green earlier, now they are green with gold pigmentation," Seven stated.

I nodded, "My father was a moon-elf and I inherited them from him. I have heard from others that the gold flecks in my eyes disappear when I am extremely fatigued or injured, which is doubtless why you did not see them earlier in the day."

I could see the curiosity in her eyes but after another long look, she simply nodded and said, "Have a good night, Arana," and turned and left my quarters.

"Good night, Milady," I said to the closing doors.

Exhausted I sat down on the bed and thought about what the Captain had said earlier about how to dim the lights. "Computer, dim lights 100." Obediently the lights set in the ceiling went dark and I was left with the dim light from the window. I sat for a while looking at the streaking stars and tried to comprehend the speed of our passage through space. "Computer, current time?" I asked.

"Current time is 2200 hours," came the reply.

"Computer, wake me up at… 0500 hours." In the dark I removed my doublet and laid it on the ledge above me, and then removed my boots and placed them on the floor beside the bed. I remembered the Captain had said something about replicating clothing to sleep in, but I was used to wearing a shirt and breeches to bed. Finally I laid down in the bed trying to get used to the conforming softness of it, at some point I fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 7**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: T (13+)

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 9/11/04; 03/17/05

Summary: Arana meets the Borg children and senior staff.

* * *

"The time is 0500 hours," I awoke upon hearing the voice of the computer, and remembered the day before. Sitting up, I looked outside the window at the streaking stars and felt a sense of wonderand more than a bit of doubt. This world was so different from mine; the change was even greater than when I left the Ilmater Order to become a Paladin. Yet it was what Torm required of me; and I knew that he would not ask more than I was capable of achieving.

I grinned ruefully, reminded of the training lectures I had given over the years; now it was time for me to be in training once again. "Oh well "I told myself, as I had stated to my students more than once, "don't expect Torm's idea of what you are capable of to be easy. Just know that it can be done if you give all of yourself to accomplishing it."

With that I rolled out of bed and onto the floor and began my morning stretches, mapping out my morning as I did so. I figured I had an hour to work out, an hour to pray, and then 30 minutes to bathe, 'recycle' my clothing, and get dressed. Something told me that Seven and the children would arrive precisely at 0650 hours.

An hour later I was feeling more awake after as strenuous a workout I could manage without weights or the assistance of another. I resolved to inquire of Seven whether the ship had some type of gymnasium.

Quieting my mind, I knelt on the floor and allowed my sense of the room to fade away. I concentrated on feeling the divine energy around me and began drawing it into myself. As I did so, I chanted in silently the dawn words of praise to Ilmater. It had been years since I had received a personal visit from the Crying god, so I was surprised when I heard his gentle voice responding in my mind.

"The children you freed are safe within my Temple at Waterdeep. You bore the lashes of my sister bravely, my priestess. Know that you are where we need to be at this time. Learn these people's customs and their technology, and learn what you can of this place. The Lord of Darkness is showing a keen interest in this realm. Torm has detected the presence of his follower's here, but we do not know his devices. You must be our eyes and ears on this plane. Hopefully you will learn something that will give us insight into what his plans may be."

I felt his power move through me, and realized that I had been given the knowledge of more priestly spells: the ability to call down divine fire upon an enemy, to restore someone who had their strength or powers drained by another, and the ability to heal another of poisoning through my clerical skills instead of using my Paladin ability – all this had been taught to me.

Now I needed to choose words for the somatic component of the spell. I shrugged; I had always used elven words for this so why not continue? I decided to use _ur_, the word for fire, for the divine fire spell. I choose the word _entulesse_ for the spell to restore drained abilities, as it was the elven word to return something, and the negative of the word poison, _avasangwa,_ for the spell to cure poisoning.

I continued my meditations once those essential tasks were completed, and quickly realized that my 'pool' of divine power had increased as well. After finishing the hymn of praise to, I immediately began the dawn hymn of praise to Torm. By the time I had finished both, an hour had passed; and I climbed to my feet and quickly went into the bathing room to strip off my clothes and shower.

I was used to bathing quickly, and I still had twenty minutes remaining when I recycled my underclothes and then stood in front of the replicator trying to decide what to wear that day. "Historical garments; renaissance; male." I told the computer, repeating the Captain's suggestion of the day before. When the pictures of the different garment styles showed up on the screen, I quickly choose the doublet style and then the Mantua style from among the possible doublets.

The Mantua differed from most doublets in that it laced along both sides under the arms instead of down the front and down the sides. This style of doublet had a single front panel, usually of brocade, then panels under the arm holes; two short square panels in the front and one rectangular panel in the rear at the bottom of the garment made up the waist. Rolled corded banding ran along every seam, and the arm holes were decorated with inch thick banding.

I had loved this very style of doublet on Faerun, where it was called the Waterdeep' but the difficulty in getting it correctly tailored, as well as the cost, had limited my wardrobe to only two of these. With this replicator, however, it was amazingly easy to create a garment that fit perfectly.

I choose silver and emerald for my colors, and then picked out an emerald green high necked shirt and emerald green trews. I dressed and examined myself in the full length mirror provided in the bathing room with a critical eye and sighed at my milk pale skin. Anyone looking at me immediately knew that one of my parents was a moon-elf. At least I could wear all the jewel tone colors; earth tone's, however, made me look jaundiced.

I had to chuckle when I realized I had been frowning unhappily at my modest bosom under the silver brocade. I reminded myself that, if I were as endowed as Seven, that I would ruin the clean lines of the doublet; and it wasn't as if anyone ever mistook me for a male, so I obviously had enough of a chest.

I admired the effect of the outfit, how it brought out the blue tones in my skin and emphasized my eyes. Once again I was thankful that I came from uncommonly tall parents; if I had been five foot four or so as most half-elven women, I would, quite frankly, look rather silly in this style of clothing. But at five foot nine, I had the height and leanness needed to look elegant in them.

I grinned to myself, remembering how I had a reputation for being one of the more vain Knights of the Order. It was true; and I was not ashamed to lay the blame squarely at my father's feet. Moon-elves were, after all, known for their perfectionist taste in clothing. 'I will just have to resign myself to developing that same reputation aboard Voyager,' I thought to myself with a smile. I quickly combed out and rebound my hair and asked, "Computer, time please."

"The time is 0646 hours," it replied.

I nodded to myself and went over to the window and stared out at the passing stars. "Talk about a view to make oneself feel humble" I thought. Curiously, I wondered how many of the myriad stars had planets with people of some type upon them. Certainly I had noticed many different types of races last night. Neelix was certainly different from any other person I had met, but I had noticed at least three other races besides the humans present.

"Seven to Arana," came the sound of Seven's voice over my combadge.

"Please come in, Lady Seven," I replied, guessing that she was waiting just outside the sensor range of the door.

I stood up in time to greet Seven and the four children who entered with her, "Good morn to you all. May Ilmater and Torm's blessings be upon you."

I looked curiously at the children. From Seven's descriptions, I guessed that the tall teenage boy was Icheb, a good looking young man with close clipped coal black hair and a prominent ridge running vertically from his nose to his hairline. A silvery implant along the ridge was all that remained visible of his Borg past.

The two younger twin boys were Azan and Rebi; Seven had called their race Wysati, and they differed from humans only in the ridged line of small bumps that extended from their nose up their forehead. The remnant of their Borg past was a small copper colored disk on their left temples. The girl had a prominent ridged nose, but the ridge ended just above her eyebrows. I knew this must be Metozi, and I could tell by the direct, curious look she gave me that she was probably a handful at times.

"Children, this is Champion Arana. Do not touch any of her belongings," the last was said as the children caught sight of my mithryl armor and weapons, and after an initial curious look, I was deemed much less interesting that it, at least for the present.

Obediently the three younger children held their hands behind their backs and continued examining the armor intently. Icheb stood by Seven, dividing his attention for the moment between the armor and myself. I smiled at Seven, who was wearing the black civilian uniform over the modified biosuit. "You look lovely this morning, Milady, the uniform well suits you." She raised a brow in response to my comment, but I did elicit a small smile from her, as well, in response.

"You must be Icheb," I said to him with a smile.

"And you are Champion Arana," he replied with a shy smile.

"Seven said your armor is made of mithryl," said Metozi, "but I couldn't find any alloy called that in Voyager's database."

I nodded, "Mithryl may exist only in Faerun; it is a magical metal, smelted and forged by the dwarves deep in their mountain halls. It is stronger than any other known metal, even admantium, and much lighter as well."

Metozi nodded. "You have pretty hair," she announced.

"Thank you, you do as well and those are nice braids," I replied.

Seven shifted, apparently impatient, "We must leave for the mess hall or we will be late."

I grinned at her, "Do they stop serving at 0730 hours?"

"No, but the children's day is arranged to allow for the greatest number of activities. Beginning our meal late will disrupt the planned schedule," Seven informed me seriously.

I blinked at this and glanced at the children who had muted mutinous expressions on their faces. I sighed to myself thinking that Seven had a lot to learn about children, but it wasn't particularly surprising that she had no idea what she was doing wrong. Still this was the wrong time and place for such a conversation, so I simply nodded. I also wanted to discuss with her the message I had received from Ilmater, but it too would have to wait.

As we set off to the mess hall, Metozi moved up to take my hand and walk beside me, "If you want I can braid your hair," she offered.

I smiled at her pleased, "I love braids but they look terrible if I try to do them myself. I would be happy to accept your assistance, Metozi."

She grinned back at me obviously pleased by my answer.

As we got on the turbolift for Deck 2 where the mess hall was located, Seven asked me, "Did you receive the Captain's message, Arana?"

I groaned, "I knew there would be something I forgot. If I received it on the console machine then, no, I have not read it."

"You do not have to use the one in your quarters; if you do not mind accompanying us to the science lab for the children's lessons you can use the one there," Seven responded.

I grinned at the children, "Perhaps I should join them, I know nothing about all this technology. Now if you want to know the best way to kill a red dragon, however, I could teach you quite a lot." We stepped out of the turbo lift and walked toward the mess hall.

As we walked into the mess hall, we seemed to attract quite our share of attentionmost of which seemed to be focused on Seven and her new uniform, and the rest upon me. Metozi's next question firmly established me as the preferred focus of attention, "You killed a red dragon?" she asked with doubt obvious in her tone.

"Not alone; I was assisting my silver dragon friend to protect her hatchlings," I answered.

We had stepped in front of the serving window and I smiled at Neelix, "Good morn, Neelix, what wonderful culinary creation have you made for us this morning?"

"Ah, Champion Arana, lets see; we have some eggs we picked up a few planets ago, and my first attempt to make hash browns," Neelix said with a cheerful smile.

"Some of each please, Neelix," I replied.

After he had handed me a plate, I went to sit down with Seven and the children who were all having the liquid nutritional supplements she had consumed the night before. The mess hall was still unusually quiet, with frequent short glances being directed at our table. Most of those glances were openly curious, a very few bordered on hostile. Those people I quietly memorized the faces of and resolved to find out what exactly the Captain had written last night.

"How did you know the silver dragon," Metozi asked me.

I hurriedly swallowed my first taste of the eggs, finding them to have an odd flavor that I could not tell if I liked or disliked. "Ah, well," I said remembering that first meeting with Alessea fondly. Not surprising since she had ended up being my first lover since my childhood. "Silver dragons have the ability to transform themselves into the form of a human. Lady Alessea was very beautiful as a human, lithe as an elf, with silver hair that flowed down her back, and the deepest blue eyes."

I paused, remembering her and wondering with some sorrow how she was and whether or not the Order thought I had perished at the hands of the Lovitarians. "I did not know that she was a dragon for several months after I first met her. I was still a squire at the time and we had become… rather close companions before she told me. It came as rather a shock to know that she was a silver dragon and that she was 230 years older than I." I grinned ruefully at myself, remembering well the day she had informed me of her other identity.

I glanced at Seven and got a rather narrow eyed look in return; I could sense her annoyance. I blinked, confused by her reaction; then I realized that Seven, at least, had correctly deciphered my words and realized that Alessea and I had been lovers. Seven might have not reacted to my acknowledgement of my attraction to her yesterday, but she was obviously reacting with what looked suspiciously like jealousy now.

"That was over ten years ago though; our paths went different ways a little over a year later. When I met her again two years later, we were still friends but not as close as we were before." I said the last words while looking directly at Seven, letting her know that I meant that Alessea and I had decided not to be lovers after we met again.

"It was during that time that she got pregnant and laid her eggs. She invited me to come and see them after they were hatched and I accepted." I paused and smiled at Metozi, "That was when I got the opportunity to go dragon back riding."

I took a quick opportunity to finish my eggs, then began speaking again. "I rode most of the way up into the mountains where she was nesting, and left my mount at a reputable inn for my return. Alessea had sent a map of the mountains with her invitation, and I made my way on foot from the inn to where she wanted to meet me. It took me a few hours, and it was almost noon before I arrived."

I took a sip of what Neelix had called orange juice, a pleasing drink both sweet and tart at the same time. "Alessea was an adult dragon of course, so meeting her for the first time in her natural form was a bit intimidating."

Icheb asked curiously, "How large is an adult dragon?"

I pondered his question for a moment then hesitantly answered, "I would say thirty five feet tall, and maybe ninety foot long including the tail."

"What did she look like?" asked Rebi, the first I had heard a word out of either twin.

"Well, all the good natured dragons look exactly like the metal they are named for: Bronze, Brass, Copper, Gold and Silver. The scale patterns and crest along the top of their body differ greatly among them. Silver dragons are also called shield dragons for the large scale plates they have on their heads and along their throats and undersides. There are only four scales that cover their entire heads. One covers their entire muzzle up to just below their eyes, another covers the area around their eyes, and two smaller ones on either side protect their horns." I paused to sip some juice and hoped that my description was making sense.

I glanced at Seven and the children and had to smile at the intent looks on their faces. A quick look about the mess hall revealed several people openly listening to my tale. Some of them had similarly intent looks; some of them had openly skeptical expressions. One caramel skinned woman with rather prominent bony ridges running up her forehead was openly frowning at me as I met her gaze. I sensed a muted hostility radiating from her that puzzled me, for I did not know who she might be or why she would dislike me. The only thing I could tell was that she was wearing the same uniform as the two crewmen from last evening.

I shrugged and continued my description, "The silver and brass dragons have one crest that runs from their heads along their backbone to the tip of their tail. The crest is several feet tall except for a short area just in front of the wing joints. The wings themselves on a silver or brass dragon are just like the wings on bats." I paused for a moment then asked, "Do you have bats here?"

Five heads nodded almost in unison, and Seven said, "Yes they are native to Earth, small winged rodents that use sonar to navigate."

I nodded, "Sounds like the same animal; perhaps you can show me a picture of one."

"It is time for us to leave for the science lab; I will bring up a picture of one," said Seven. I glanced down at my mostly uneaten hash browns, as Neelix had called them, and sighed. "But we will wait and allow Arana to finish her meal uninterrupted by any more questions first," Seven finished. Thus, with five sets of eyes on me, I quickly finished my breakfast trying to eat as politely as possible under their scrutiny.

We left the mess hall after disposing of our dishes and headed for the science lab. From the looks I got as we left, I knew I left behind some disappointed listeners as well; but Seven seemed adamant about sticking to the children's schedule. Once we arrived at the lab, I looked around with curiosity at all the strange pictographs that covered the walls and at the round raised disk that was set off to the side in an alcove very like the area in sickbay I had first found myself in yesterday.

After first bringing up a picture of a bat and receiving my confirmation that the creature was the same as the bat I knew from Faerun, Seven started the children on their day's lessons. She indicated that I should follow her over to the alcove and showed me how to open the messages stored for me in the computer. This lead to the discovery that I could not read Federation Standard, nor after the combadges were instructed to stop translating, could I understand spoken Federation Standard.

Seven looked a bit dismayed at this, "You will need to learn written and spoken Federation Standard before we can start your other lessons."

I nodded and indicated the messages, "Is there anything in these I need to know, Milady?"

Seven glanced over the two messages waiting for me, "This one is the ship wide message Captain Janeway sent out at 2300 hours last night. It details Starfleet policy regarding harassment, and includes statements by the Captain, Commander Chakotay and Lt. Commander Tuvok that there has been ongoing harassment of one of the crewmembers and that this behavior will not be tolerated. Any further offenses will result in official reprimands and possible punishment in accordance with regulations. The second message is from Captain Janeway requesting your attendance at the senior staff meeting this morning at 0900 hours."

Seeing my look of concern Seven said, "We have 45 minutes before the meeting. I will prepare a course of study for you in the meantime to begin learning Federation Standard." With that she began tapping quickly on the console. and within a few minutes she indicated that I should take her place there.

Displayed on the console was what were obviously letters and numbers. Thus began my first lessons in Federation Standard. Thirty minutes later I felt I had a pretty good grasp of the first few lessons, at least I had moved beyond the basics into learning actual words and basic sentence structure. I had been ignoring the children's chatter and it took Seven touching me on the arm to draw me out of my intense focus on the information in front of me.

"It is time we left for the meeting, Arana," Seven said as she glanced over my shoulder to see where I was in the tutorial. I thought I saw an approving look ghost over her face as she saw where I was in the lesson.

I took the opportunity of our journey to the Briefing room to tell Seven about my communication with Ilmater. I did not have the time to answer her first question as to who the Lord of Darkness was before we arrived at our destination.

"Captain Janeway will want to know of this," Seven said as she paused outside the door. I nodded in reply and we stepped forward toward the doors which opened as they sensed us.

When we entered the conference room, Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay, Lt. Tuvok, the Doctor, the dark haired hostile woman from the mess hall, and two males, one light haired with blue eyes and the other dark haired with dark eyes, were already present. When Seven and I walked into the conference room, the officers whose names I did not know looked surprised at my presence.

I paused at the door to nod respectfully to the Captain and greeted her, "Good morn, Captain, I trust this new day sees you well?"

"It does, Arana, thank you," she replied with a smile.

I turned to Commander Chakotay, Lt. Tuvok and the Doctor, "Gentlemen, good morn; I hope you had peaceful rests." The three of them either smiled or, in the case of Lt. Tuvok, nodded, in response and indicated that they had indeed rested well.

Greetings finished, I walked over to Captain Janeway and in a voice low enough to not be overheard said, "I was graced with guidance from Ilmater during my morning prayers. He informed me that some of Bane's followers have been detected operating within this realm. That is the reason I was sent here, to try and find out what they might be planning."

She had looked at me in surprise at first, and her expression changed over the course of my statements into a slight frown. "Somewhere? The Delta Quadrant is a rather large place to look for someone without more specific guidance. You're going to need more information than that to even start a search. And who or what is this Bane?"

I started to answer but she interrupted, "I'll want to discuss this in the meeting anyway, there's no reason for you to explain it twice."

The Captain sat down in her chair and immediately those who had been having low voiced conversations stopped and turned their attention to her. As there were no seats left, I simply stood by the Captain's left shoulder.

"I'm sure some of you already know about the newest addition to our crew, but I'd like to make formal introductions this morning. This is Arana, Champion of Torm and Priestess of Ilmater, from Faerun. We aren't quite sure where it is located, except that it's not in our galaxy and it might be located in some type of parallel universe. Arana, you already know Commander Chakotay and Lt. Tuvok from last night. My other officers are Lt. B'Elanna Torres, Chief Engineer; Lt. Tom Paris, Helmsman, and Ensign Harry Kim, Operations Officer."

I nodded to each of them as they were introduced, noting the name of the caramel skinned woman who now looked rather confused instead of hostile. I wasn't sure what had prompted the change, but it was a welcome one. Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim had expressions of confusion mixed with keen interest upon their faces.

"What is a Champion of Torm?" asked Lt. Paris examining me with curiosity.

Captain Janeway smiled at him, "Have you heard of a Paladin, Tom?"

Lt. Paris looked surprised, "Ah… a holy warrior?"

I nodded to him, "As good a definition as any. I was a Paladin of Torm for three years before I was chosen to become one of his Champions."

His eyes got wider, "So, some type of elite Paladin?"

I shrugged uncomfortably, "I do not think of myself as any better than any other Paladin, Lt. Paris. I have just been singled out by Torm for more… difficult duties." I noted Lt. Torres' expression out of the corner of my eye, and recognized it as familiar to me. I had seen that same wary, uncomfortable look before, usually from people who for some reason had an innate distrust of anyone or anything religious.

Lt. Paris just nodded in response to my explanation, and I could tell that his opinion had not been changed at all by my words. In truth many in the Order thought of us as a type of elite Paladin, though many of us had been clerics as well before being chosen.

"Lt. Tuvok and Seven will be in charge of Arana's education; her world made little use of technology so she's got a lot to adjust to on Voyager. Instead of technology, Faerun used what we would term magic. The Doctor's examination of Arana has shown how this is possible. Arana has the ability to store bio-electrical energy and use it for various purposes such as healing. Arana if you would demonstrate with the light orison you used yesterday please."

I nodded, said "cala" and gestured, invoking the small globe of light above my hand; the gasps around the table at its appearance I found amusingthough in all honesty I could see how such a thing would be amazing to a people who relied on technology to do such things.

"The globe is safe to touch, it is formed of bio-electrical energy that matches that stored by several organs inside Arana's body," said Seven.

Everyone besides the Captain and Seven came up to examine the light globe. After they done so, the Captain had Seven report on her actions of the day before. I listened intently, highly interested in hearing Seven's own point of view on how she rescued me. To my surprise, I found the reactions of those around the table almost as interesting as Seven's briefing.

It was obvious that they were not used to hearing about such things. I expected revulsion, but the amount of shock Seven's recital evoked astonished me. The second thing that surprised me was the look in Seven's eye as she did so; I hadn't realized before how much yesterday had upset her. She was keeping it well hidden behind the emotionless shell she projected, but I could see it in her eyes as she glanced frequently my way during her account.

After Seven had finished, the Doctor gave a brief report on what he had discovered about the organs that I had that allowed me to store energy. It was interesting to hear a technical description of how I could cast spells, and I wondered if the Doctor would be able to see a difference in these organs today due to Ilmater's blessing this morning.

"I also have a theory that would explain the unusual results of Arana's brain wave pattern. After extensive comparison with all known Alpha and Delta quadrant races, I found some similarities in Arana's brain wave pattern to known empathic races like the Argelian's, Napians and Human/Betazoid hybrids," the Doctor paused and I looked at him puzzled, "I believe what gives our Paladin her ability to sense whether a person is 'good' or 'evil' is that she is empathic."

I was puzzled by the word he was using, my combadge was not translating it into my language either. "What is this Federation Standard word you are using, "empathic"? My communications badge is not translating it into Common."

I received looks of universal surprise from around the table; even the Captain swung around in her chair to look up at me. Before the Doctor could speak, the Captain said, "It's the ability to sense other people's emotions, as opposed to telepathy which is the ability to read thoughts. Were you able to sense good and evil in people, Arana, before you became a Paladin?"

"No, Captain. I received that ability when I became a Priestess of Ilmater. Thankfully I was not born with it," 'very thankfully' I added to myself and glanced at Seven as I made the last statement. I saw understanding in her eyes when I did so, though I saw curiosity in the others. "My mother was captured and made a slave while pregnant with me, thus I was born a slave as well, and remained so until my 16th year when I was freed by the Priests of Ilmater. At times my life was not pleasant; I can only imagine it would have been more so if I had been 'empathic'."

"I'm sorry, Arana, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," said the Captain.

"It is my past, Captain; I would not be who I am today without it." I answered her.

I saw something flicker in her eyes before she replied, "I understand."

Obviously the Captain had her own ghosts and demons in the past, I thought, but now was certainly not the time or place to bring such matters up.

"Well," said the Doctor, "I would like to do further testing with Arana to determine how these abilities of her's work."

"Just don't take too much of her time away from her studies, Doctor," answered the Captain.

"Perhaps after lunch, Doctor?" I asked.

He nodded, looking eager, "That would be fine; I look forward to seeing you then Arana."

Seeing that the Doctor was finished, the Captain asked me to repeat what I had told her about how I had ended up in the Lovitarians hands.

"Why didn't you try and escape or use one of your spells to heal yourself?" asked Lt. Torres when I finished.

I looked at her and replied, "They required that I give them my word as a Paladin that I would not use my abilities or try and escape." I received several incredulous looks after I made this statement.

"You mean you just let them take you to be tortured without any fight at all?" Lt. Torres asked incredulously.

I noticed Seven frowning at her disapprovingly before Captain Janeway said in a rebuking tone, "Lt. Torres!"

"Let me guess; you can't lie or break your word?" Lt. Paris inserted his question deftly into the following silence.

"You are correct, Lt. Paris. A Paladin does not lie or break their word of honor," I nodded.

Lt. Torres shook her head and mumbled under her breath, "Sounds like a Klingon." I do not think she meant it to be over heard though, and I wondered what a Klingon was and why my being honorable reminded her of one.

"Trust me, Lt. Torres, I would rather face a thousand orcs in battle than face that particular situation again. It was a very difficult thing for me to do, but once I made the decision to acquiesce to their demands I could not go back on my oath," I replied. She was still frowning at me and shook her head at my comment, but did not say anything further.

The Captain broke the silence that fell after my comment, "Arana, if you will repeat the information you received this morning and please give us some background on who Bane is."

I repeated the guidance I received, and was not surprised when several people asked if I had more specific directions.

"The Delta Quadrant's just a bit bigger than a planet," remarked Lt. Torres shortly.

"Arana is undoubtedly aware of that fact, Lt. Torres," interjected Seven coolly.

I rushed to answer before the two women, who were now glaring at one another, could say anything else. "I am beginning to understand that this is true, Lt. Torres. However, I do not believe I am being asked to go anywhere for now. Ilmater was merely letting me know that the gate was to this realm for a specific reason. It could, after all, have just as easily been to Torm's temple in Waterdeep or Tantras. I have no doubt that when the appropriate time comes I will be given the information I need to find Bane's agents."

"So, this was just an advance warning. Any idea when you might get some specifics?" said Captain Janeway after a brief, but stern look in the direction of Lt. Torres and Seven direction.

I shrugged, "When the time is right I will be given enough directions to find where I am supposed to be. It has been thus since I first became a priestess, Captain Janeway."

She sighed, "I hate being in the dark about things that might affect my crew…. What can you tell us of Bane?"

"Bane was a moral once along with Bhaal and Myrkul. Even then he desired to be the most feared and powerful tyrant Faerun has ever known. The three of them managed to get Jergal, the former god of strife, death, and the dead, to give them his powers. Bane became the god of strife but, becoming a minor god was not enough for him, he wanted more power. So in 1358 he and Myrkul stole Lord Ao's Tablets of Fate, upon which are written the names and domains of all the gods of Faerun, hoping they would help him take some of the other gods' powers.

This precipitated what is known on Faerun as the Time of Troubles, when Lord Ao cast down the gods and made them walk Faerun as Avatars. In Tantras, Torm and Bane met in battle and they slew one another. Torm was resurrected through the power of Ao and Bane was reborn in 1372 in a place called Xvim; it is not known how he was resurrected. When he was a mortal Bane ruled his realm through fear and terror; now that he is a god he desires to rule all of Faerun and force all gods and mortals to submit to him. If he is seeking something here, then it would be a thing or maybe allies which he thinks would help him achieve this goal," I finished.

"So, what are these gods?" spoke Ensign Kim for the first time.

I looked at him, puzzled for a moment, then realized I had heard no mention of any god by anyone excepting myself in this place. "You have no gods?" I asked.

"Different cultures hold different spiritual beliefs," answered Lt. Cmdr Tuvok. "However their deities do not make physical appearances in their believers' lives."

I tried to imagine this, but it was too different for me to comprehend. The gods and goddesses of Faerun were so entwined in our lives, for both good and evil, that it was difficult to imagine what it might be like without them.

"I do not know how to answer your question Ensign Kim." I admitted. "The gods and goddesses of Faerun are powerful immortals. Some are good, such as Tyr, Ilmater and Torm. Some are neutral, such as the Red Knight the Goddess of Tactics and Tempus the God of War. Some such as Bane and Lovitar are exceedingly cruel and evil." I hesitated for a moment, "I cannot even imagine what it must be like to live where one does not have to fight against such evil."

"I believe that's enough questions for right now," Captain Janeway cut off whatever remaining questions there might be. "Arana, I believe you were in the research lab before you came to the meeting?" She waited for my nod, "Do you believe you can find your way back?"

I nodded with confidence, I was already getting a sense of the ship and Seven's explanations had been clear on how to navigate. "Yes Captain, I believe I can find my way back to the research lab," I answered.

She nodded to me, "Then that's all, Arana, the rest of the meeting will be departmental reports. I'll try and stop by sometime today or tonight and see how you are settling in."

"Seven has been most kind in that regard, Captain, she has made me feel very welcome here," I smiled at Seven who gave me a slight smile in return. From around the table I noticed several heads turning toward me with varied amounts of surprise apparent. "Until I see you next, may Torm watch over you," I directed this toward the entire table as I nodded and then turned smartly and left the room.

Outside I looked about for a moment, orienting myself, then began to carefully retrace my steps toward the research lab. As I walked I mused to myself about the open surprise several of the senior staff had shown at my comment. Did I see Seven so differently from everyone else? And if so why? was it just that I didn't see her as one of these Borg and no one else could see beyond her past?


	8. Chapter 8

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 8**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: T (13+)

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History:

Summary: Arana finishes her story about the red dragon.

Notes : Arana is a 8th level cleric; 8th level Paladin; for an overall 16th level character. For the purposes of this story I'm limiting the spell equivalencies to Laying on of Hands, Cure Blindness/Deafness, Disease, Poison 1/day; Divine Wrath (Champion Of Torm ability ) 1/day

* * *

When I had managed to find my way back to the research lab I was greeted rather enthusiastically by the children who wanted to take a break from their studies so I could finish the story I had started at breakfast.

"And I shall finish telling you about Alessea and the red dragon but I think you will all agree that it would not be right to do so without Lady Seven being present as well," I chided them gently.

Four pairs of curious eyes looked back at me. Metozi said, "Why do you call Seven of Nine Lady Seven?"

"She is well born and holds a position of responsibility aboard the ship, does she not?" I asked them.

"She is Chief of Astrometrics," said Icheb helpfully.

"Then by the ways of my world her proper address would be Lady or Milady," I replied. "Except by the Captain's own request I would more properly be referring to her as My Liege or My Liege Lady."

The younger children looked puzzled by this but Icheb's eyes got wider, "From my studies that would mean that you swore fealty to the Captain?"

"Yes I did. Now enough questions, Seven will not be pleased with any of us if we do not complete our studies," I smiled understandingly as they almost in unison sighed resignedly and returned to their assigned task. Seven had left my language lesson open on the console and I returned my attention to it, desirous of learning how to read and speak the language of my new comrades as quickly as possible.

I looked up from my Federation language lesson almost an hour later to see Seven walk into the science lab and smiled in welcome, "Milady," I acknowledged her warmly.

"Arana," she replied as she walked over and looked to see where I was in the lesson. I was quite certain of her surprise at my progress this time and permitted myself a small moment of satisfaction at it. I had always been a quick study and when I felt safe, as I did on Voyager; my ability to completely focus on the subject material only improved my learning rate.

"If you continue this rate of progression you should be conversant in spoken and written Federation Standard in four more days and proficient in ten," Seven commented with a measuring look in her eyes.

I could tell she was wondering if I was actually absorbing my lessons or just skimming over them. I would be wondering the same thing if I were her. "Is there a way to have the computer only translate words that I have not yet learned, Milady?"

Seven raised a brow at my question and considered it silently for a moment, "Computer, link translation for crewmember Arana with file Arana Federation Standard Language Lesson Zero One."

"File linked," replied the computer's voice.

"Do not translate words contained in completed lessons," Seven instructed.

"Translation file limited," came the voice of the computer in Federation Standard as those were some of the words I knew.

"Thank you, Milady," I replied in Standard.

Seven nodded and briefly smiled at me, "It is time for lunch, Arana you will be accompanying us?"

"Of course, I have promised Icheb, Metozi, Azan and Rebi that I would continue telling them about Alessea and her children," I replied to her in both Common and Standard.

Seven raised her brow again at the children's enthusiastic response to my statement and I could tell she was amused. "I'm sure everyone will enjoy hearing you continue your account from this morning," she rather dryly remarked.

I could tell she was referring to the wider audience I had at breakfast and I grinned broadly at her in response, "I would hate to disappoint any of my earlier listeners."

She shook her head slightly at me, but I could tell she was amused by my response, "We should proceed to the mess hall."

As we entered the mess hall I recognized several people in the mess hall from this morning and nodded politely to Lt. Torres, Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim who were all seated at one table together. Lt. Paris stood and looked as if he would invite me over but then he saw that Rebi and Azan were each holding one of my hands and sat back down. I noticed him talking to his two companions who glanced over to give us a curious look. We all got our lunches and sat down at one of the empty tables.

I quickly ate most of my meal then looked quizzically at the impatient children, "Now where did I leave off telling you about my meeting with Alessea?" I knew of course exactly where I had stopped the story but I wanted to give them the chance to remind me. I had seen countless storytellers employ this technique and I was pleased to note it worked for me as well as it had for them.

A chorus of voices, including Icheb's quickly filled me in on the details of the story so far and then waited expectantly for me to continue. Seven gave me a look that let me know she doubted that I had forgotten anything but I blithely ignored it for the moment and gave her an innocent look that I knew was at odds with the amusement in my eyes.

The metal implant above her eye had been raised for an entire ten seconds now during my performance but I could see and sense the small smile she was hiding.

"Ah yes that is where I left off, Alessea had just landed in dragon form in front of me at the place she designated for us to meet," I nodded to them and took a preparatory drink of my water. "Now on a silver dragon there is only one place for a person to possibly sit, and that is just in front of the wing joints where their neck crest is very short and before their back crest begins. The particularly wonderful thing about that spot is the view it affords when you are airborne."

"To be certain, I thought my neck was going to snap when she leapt off the ground to get airborne, but once we had gained some height…" I paused remembering how everything had looked from the sky. "The North Mountains are tall, snow covered and rugged. They are treacherous to cross on foot and from the ground they appear rather intimidating, from the air, however, with the sun shining brightly upon their snow covered peaks they were magnificent."

"It only took us a few more minutes to cover the area from where I meet her to where she had located her lair." I smiled at the children and Seven for a moment before saying, "Dragons land much more gently than they take off so my neck was spared from further threat of injury when we landed at the edge of a scrub covered ravine. After winding our way through the short pines we came upon the cavern entrance to her lair. Alessea used a simple light spell for illumination and we made our way past several traps and illusions deeper into the mountain."

"Why did she need those?" Rebi spoke up curiously.

I frowned slightly as I pondered how to answer the question, "There are those who follow the paths of evil who would not hesitate to kill the young of a silver dragon, whether for profit or just for the pleasure of killing a good being." I could sense Seven's disquiet at my answer but the children and Icheb nodded soberly. "Eventually we reached Alessea's lair and I was greeted by five young dragon wyrmlings."

I paused for a moment and cast back in my memory to recall their names, "Let me see there were three males, Ariw, Rayet, and Seral; and two females Laess and Karysa. And they all enthusiastically greeted me when they saw their mother and I approaching." I winced internally as I remembered how enthusiastically I had been greeted, five wyrmlings, no matter how small individually, were a bit overwhelming when they were flying and or crawling over you.

"After playing with them for a few hours I found myself rather weary and hungry." I paused for a brief moment to think of how to tell the upcoming moments in my tale.

"How do wyrmlings play?" Metozi asked interrupting my thoughts.

"Well Alessea's young were only a few years old, so their play was still fairly basic. It mostly consisted of chasing one another interspersed with pouncing on the shiny paladin whose shoulder then got used as a handy launching post," I commented wryly remembering. The three children and Icheb all smiled at that and I detected more than a hint of amusement in Seven's eyes as well.

I was struck by how the children, Icheb and Seven all muted their visible emotions. I wasn't sure how much of it was intentional but they definitely all did it. Now that I was aware that my ability to sense good or evil intentions was actually sensing emotions, I was much more conscious of the fact that I was doing more than reading Seven's slight facial expressions. I was actually sensing her emotions and those of the children.

I looked again at Seven searching for the amusement I knew she was feeling and found it, but I could see how other's without my ability, would miss such a small sign. I had the feeling that I had identified one of the reasons I perceived Seven differently than many of the other members of the crew. Noting the curious faces of the children at my silence I brought my attention back to my story.

"After a few hours of play the wyrmlings were tired out and more than ready to settle down for a nap, during which Alessea and I prepared food for all of us. After we had eaten and the wyrmlings settled down for the evening Alessea changed into her human form and we walked up toward the cavern mouth to catch each other up on the past few years," I paused for a moment remembering.

"I was the one who sensed the presence of evil nearby before we exited the cavern. I quietly warned Alessea and we retreated a good distance back into the cavern to confer. Now, walking blind into a fight when all you know is that something evil is about is not my favorite situation," I admitted with some humor. "However, having a full grown silver dragon as your fighting companion evens the odds for most fights."

I paused and took a sip of my drink, this time by design to draw out the moment of revelation. "Unfortunately Alessea informed me that she suspected the creature I was sensing was an old red dragon she had caught a glimpse of a week before. Alessea hadn't seen any sign of it in the past seven years so the dragon must have recently moved into her territory. The problem was that it made a lot of difference whether or not the evil I sensed was a dragon or something else. If it wasn't a dragon the best plan was for Alessea in her true form to exit the cavern's mouth first, if it was the old red dragon the best plan was for me to exit the cavern's mouth first."

I saw mirrored looks of puzzlement on several faces and Seven raised the implant above her eye at me questioningly. I was becoming so familiar with that look of hers that I couldn't help but reflexively smile warmly at her in response to it. "All dragons love to hoard treasure, whether good or evil, but red dragons are the most avaricious of all. Each color dragon has a distinctive breath attack and red dragons breathe fire. However, if there is any chance of their target bearing treasure they will not risk melting it so they will land and attack using tooth and claw."

"That is why I would be the better choice to exit the cave first, if there were a red dragon waiting, I would be able to lure it to the ground where Alessea could attack. If Alessea were to exit first and the red dragon was waiting it would attack with its breath and follow up with a physical attack. Red dragons are physically larger than silver dragons of the same age and if an old red dragon caught Alessea on the ground she would likely be hurt very badly. In the air though, silver dragons are quicker than red dragons so it's more of an even match," I paused to take a breath before continuing and looked around at my audience for a moment.

The children and Icheb were staring at me intently, entirely caught up in the story; Seven met my eyes and tilted her head questioningly as if to ask why I had stopped. A quick look about the room verified that few people had left the mess hall, most were slowly eating their meals or finished and obviously waiting for me to complete my tale before leaving.

Lt. Torres, Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim were among this latter group and I met Lt. Torres's brown eyes for a moment before I returned my attention to Seven and the children. I found it interesting that the hostility and then confusion Lt. Torres had shown me earlier had been replaced by what seemed to be a measuring look. Idly I wondered what standards she was evaluating me by and how I would fare against them.

"Given what she had told me I choose to exit the cave mouth first, I felt that the slightest chance that the presence I felt was a red dragon was reason enough for the decision. Alessea tried to argue with me but I pointed out that she was a mother now and could not afford to take such a chance with five little ones depending on her. Our plan was simple; Alessea would change back into her true form and wait just inside the opening of the cavern while I walked outside. With any luck, we thought, I could get the red dragon to turn its back on the cavern allowing Alessea the opportunity of disabling its wing's."

"Following our plan, I walked outside the cavern mouth and looked around for whatever had alerted me. It was only after I had turned entirely around and was facing the cavern again that I looked into the eyes of the red dragon; the size of it was truly amazing. If Alessea was thirty foot tall it must have been around fifty foot tall and was perched directly above the cavern mouth." I paused for a moment remembering the dry mouthed sensation I had gotten upon turning around and seeing the terrible creature. "Paladin's are immune to dragon fear, but we are not fools, I felt a definite chill when I realized where the dragon was waiting. If Alessea were to come out before I got it to move from its perch she would be an easy target for it."

"I knew that Alessea would be watching me so I kept my gaze fixed upon the dragon hoping that she would be able to discern where I was looking and began to back away," I explained.

Deepening my voice I spoke, "'Where do you think to flee to warrior that I will not find you. Surely you do not think that your puny weapon can harm me?' said the dragon."

"He, for the voice was definitely male, was of course referring to my longsword which I had drawn when he spoke," I said in my normal voice. My eye was caught by a movement near Neelix's kitchen and I glanced over to note that the Captain and Commander Chakotay had entered the mess hall and were getting their lunches. Neelix was whispering to them in a low voice doubtless explaining why so many people were still in the mess hall.

"You do not think I would give up my armor and weapons to your hoard without a fight do you dragon, I replied to him hoping it would increase his greed for them."

"'Hmm, I smelt the scent of magic about you elf and wondered if you were a wizardling of some type. So what magical weapon have you stolen from some crypt, let me guess a dragonslayer sword!' he said to me in a mocking tone but he had taken the first step toward me. I kept backing away from him weaving my way through the scrub pines hoping he would keep talking for a while longer." I noted the Captain looking about the full room with a look that was equal parts amusement and annoyance as she sought a place to sit down with her lunch. Ensign Kim noticed as well and caught her attention and pointed to the empty chairs at their table invitingly.

"I wish it was a Dragonslayer sword, I admitted to the dragon as I kept backing away. But mine is just an ordinary magical longsword."

"He snorted and moved toward me again for red dragons enjoy playing with their prey. 'There is nothing ordinary about a magical longsword warrior as you well know', the dragon replied to me. By this time I had traversed the screening of pines that hid the opening of the cavern and was attempting to back down the side of the mountain without falling."

I deepened my voice, "'Where do you think you're going warrior, there is no place for you to hide on this mountainside, or do you think I will let you retreat until we reach the bottom?' The dragon inquired of me."

"I was having difficulty telling whether or not I had lured the dragon far enough from the cavern entrance, for it was dark and his bulk hid the entrance from my view. I could tell though, that he had moved enough so that all four of his feet were now in front of the cavern entrance. If I could only move him another fifty or so feet he would be in a good position for Alessea to attack him."

"True, I replied to the dragon. Ordinary longswords are made of ordinary metals such as iron and steel, as is ordinary armor. Mind you," I told the children, Icheb and Seven. "I was not lying; I just did not add that my armor was of ordinary metals that had been enchanted by the smith while he crafted the suit for me. The dragon of course assumed that I was implying that my armor and weapon were made of a magical material such as mithral or admantium, as I knew he would."

I got what I thought was a sardonic raise of Seven's eye implant at my acknowledgement that I was not above deliberately misleading an enemy. I ducked my head and shrugged at her, but was not particularly abashed of my behavior. I was required not to lie, which didn't include being stupidly truthful and jeopardizing the life of others to my way of thinking. "Thankfully it worked, if a little too well," I shook my head at the memory.

"He lunged at me and it was only by luck that he did not seize me in his fore claw. I had been stepping rearward when a rock beneath my heel rolled, causing me to fall backward down the mountainside just as he reached for me. Alessea told me later that she had seen me fall and decided to attack at that moment. All I knew was that suddenly the red dragon was screaming and Alessea was on the red dragon's back attacking his wings with her claws and biting his neck."

I was caught up in my own story now but I did notice that the Captain and First Officer were quietly eating at the table with their three other officers and listening to my story as well. "I scrambled to my feet and stared at the scene in front of me trying to see how I might help Alessea. For many minutes I stood helpless watching the two dragons fight, finally the red dragon lost it's footing on the loose soil of the mountainside and it fell briefly to his chest. Calling upon Torm's divine wrath I charged and attempted to slice through the red dragon's chest scales."

I took another sip of my water and a deep breath; I was lucky that I hadn't died that day. "Knowing what I do now about dragon scales it is amazing that I managed to actually cut through the scale, for they are as hard as steel and very thick. Unfortunately I didn't really do any damage to the red dragon, only enough damage for it to notice me. The red dragon mean to kill me with it's bite. What actually happened though was that Alessea noticed the red dragon's attention shifting and tried to knock its aim off enough to miss me."

"She didn't exactly succeed, though she did save my life, instead of snapping me in two the red dragon found itself with his muzzle buried in the dirt and me within its mouth standing underneath my shield which I had just managed to raise over my head." It hadn't been particularly amusing at the time but now looking at the amazed faces of the children I had to grin.

"One immediately notices when one is in the mouth of a fire breathing dragon, the stench of…" I thought the better of mentioning the pieces of decomposing meat in the dragon's mouth given the age of my listeners, "Well red dragons do not clean their mouths after they eat so they have very bad breath along with the sulfur and pumice stench of their fire. I took one breath and nearly passed out from the smell alone. I held my breath after that and started stabbing the dragon as deeply as I could from the inside of its mouth."

Matching 'ugg' disgusted expressions were apparent on the children's faces as well as some of the adults in the room. Even Seven's face was briefly touched by an expression of distaste. "Not surprisingly the red dragon was not particularly enthused by my attack and whipped his head out of the ground and tried to shake me out of its mouth. As I could tell that I was a fair height in the air at the time I braced myself as well as I could and held on with all my strength to my sword which was embedded in the dragon's mouth."

"At this point Alessea thought I had been swallowed and attacked the red dragon with her breath of cold, doing considerable damage to him. The red dragon roared, most likely in anger and pain, and I was deafened by the noise. I was stunned and forgot to hold my breath but as he had opened his mouth I was able to get some cleaner air. When I regained my senses, I found myself standing on the dragon's tongue with him standing still. I did not know what had caused this but I guessed that Alessea had successfully paralyzed him with her paralysis gas which is the other of her two breath attacks."

I paused to take a breath and continued, "I took advantage of his stillness to continue my attack as a glance out the dragon's mouth showed that I was likely over one hundred feet in the air. I kept attacking the same spot hoping to do some damage to him. I'm still not certain if I actually severely hurt him but I did keep him distracted enough that he died from the damage we had done. That took about ten more minutes though during which I alternately hung onto anything I could to keep from being thrown out of the dragon's mouth and continuing my attack. Finally he fell with a great thud which shook me from my feet."

"I began yelling for Alessea to open his mouth, which of course was shut trapping me inside. I almost wept with relief when I saw her claws prying open his jaws for I thought the stench would make me pass out before she freed me. I stumbled out covered with blood, gore and an odious slime. Alessea was overjoyed to see me alive, even when she caught a whiff of me."

I took a moment to glance around the room seeing several amused looks on various faces as I wound down the story. The children all had disgusted looks from my description which elicited a chuckle from me. From Seven I sensed amusement which was mirrored in the restrained smile she permitted herself. "Alessea insisted that I bathe in the small lake nearby and even gave me a lift there, though she refused to let me on her back and I had to make the trip dangling from her front claw." I was openly grinning now and several people in the mess hall chuckled at my description.

"And that is how I met my first red dragon, rather a bit too personal of an introduction for my liking. But at least I'm still here to tell you about it, and I got lectured for days by Alessea on the proper way to fight chromatic dragons without scaring her half to death," I finished my story and sat back in my chair.

Seven gave me an inquiring look, asking I guessed whether or not I was finished. "And that ends my story at least for the moment, perhaps later I will tell you what happened after the red dragon died."

Seven nodded, "We are late for our afternoon lessons, and Arana should go meet the Doctor," said Seven standing up and taking her tray.

I stood up and did likewise as did several other people in the room, including the table of senior officers. As we stood waiting for the line to the tray recycling machine to clear out I asked Seven, "Is there a training room available for physical exercise Milady?"

"Holodeck 1 is available as a gym between 1600 and 1900 hours and 0100 and 0400 hours. I can explain its function to you when it opens," Seven informed me. I sensed that she was uncertain of something and realized that she had actually asked me if she could show me the gym, though she had not clearly phrased it as a question.

"If you have the time Milady I would be most appreciative if you would escort me there," I replied. A short nod was all I received but I knew I had guessed correctly.

"Do you need any assistance in finding Sickbay?" asked Seven.

The Captain who was standing near us overheard this, "I'll go with Arana to Sickbay Seven, it will give me the opportunity to catch up." The Captain smiled at me as she said this and Seven nodded in acquiescence.

I noted the term 'catch up' getting the sense that she meant that she wanted to find out what I had been doing since I saw her last. "I have been learning how to read and speak Federation Standard Captain. This," I said pointing at the combadge, "did an excellent job of translating but I need to learn your language before I can study other things."

We separated from Seven, Icheb and the children at the turbolift, the Captain and I exiting from the lift before they. I directed a smile at them before leaving and got return smiles in one form or another from all, even Seven.

"I will contact you later to show you the gym, Arana," Seven informed me as the Captain and I were leaving the lift.

I bowed slightly, "Until then Milady, be well and your charges also."

The doors closed and I turned and waited patiently for the Captain to proceed. Captain Janeway was studying me intently and I could sense curiosity from her thought I did not know the reason for it.

"Seven is going to show you the gym this evening?" the Captain asked.

"Yes, Captain. I inquired of her earlier whether there was a training room and she informed me that the Holodeck was used as one at certain times," I answered.

The Captain shot me a look, "Do you know what a Holodeck is?"

She began walking down the hallway and I began walking with her, "No Captain I do not."

The Captain sighed and frowned slightly, "I'm not certain I can explain it in anyway that will make sense to you right now. Holodecks create solid matter from energy, but the items it creates can only exist in the Holodeck. Holo-environments and the holo-characters within them are not real in the sense that…" The Captain paused for a moment then continued, "In the same sense that Voyager is real. As for holo-characters most of them are not considered real and are not sentient. Our EMH, the Doctor is an exception. He became self aware a few years ago and is now considered a member of the crew." The Captain gave me a stern look as she told me this.

I nodded to her as we paused outside what I could determine where the door's of the Sickbay. "Of course, Captain I would never treat the Doctor with anything less than the respect he deserves as a healer and as a crewmember."

The Captain reached out and stopped me just before I stepped forward to enter Sickbay with a thoughtful look on her face, "You couldn't tell that he wasn't like the rest of us? You sensed emotions from him?"

"I could tell only that he did not smell nor give off heat, as for emotions, he feels similar to humans and he has a good soul," I finished not quite understanding what my liege wanted of me though it was fairly obvious she was searching for confirmation that the Doctor was more like the rest of the crew than unlike. I gathered that I had answered with the information she needed for she relaxed and motioned me forward.

Going over the interaction I tentatively decided that the Doctor's status as a crewmember was not quite as accepted as the Captain would like. If what she said earlier was true, that most holo-characters were unaware machines, I could see how it would be difficult for the crew to accept that this one was so different from the others. Especially as it called into question whether or not these holo-characters they created in their holo-environments had the same ability.

We stepped into Sickbay together, the Doctor was within talking to a crewmember while running a small cylinder over him and intently watching the display of what I recognized from yesterday as the instrument they called a tricorder.

"Next time stretch before you work out strenuously, while I applaud your efforts to improve your physical health you need to work up to it gradually, not all at once." Obviously he was lecturing the unfortunate crewman who had apparently injured himself while exercising. I wondered whether it had been a muscle injury, from my time as a trainer I was rather familiar with those injuries in young men and women who were either not as fit as they thought themselves to be, or wished themselves to be, one or the other.

The crewman turned and glanced at us and I could see the surprise on his face at seeing the Captain, "Yes, Doctor I'll be more careful," he promised looking suddenly as if he would rather be somewhere else now.

"Well your trapezoid muscle is mended now, take care not to tear it again," responded the Doctor.

"I will, am I free to go now Doctor?" said the crewmember.

"Yes of course," the Doctor replied and then had to step out of the way as the young man got up hurriedly and escaped Sickbay with a quick acknowledgement to the Captain as he passed.

"I'm not that scary am I?" the Captain asked me as she glanced after the retreating crewman.

I chuckled, "I gather he does not usually come into contact with the senior officers?"

"Honestly, I could probably count on both hands the number of times I've seen Crewman Murphy, if it weren't for the fact that the crew has been together for six year's I doubt I would even know his name." She looked slightly sad at this fact, why I did not know.

"Ah, Captain, Arana," the Doctor said greeting us and all but rubbing his hands together with anticipation. Now that I knew he was a holo-person I tried to see the difference between him and the Captain and myself but besides the differences I had already noticed I could detect none. He seemed the rather self absorbed scholar healer, a type I had met several times in my life. Perhaps not the type of person a patient preferred, but usually one of the more skilled healers available. In this case he was the only healer available I gathered.

"If you will sit here Arana, I will begin my scans," the Doctor said.

"Will it interrupt your scans if Arana and I talk?" asked the Captain of the Doctor.

"No, though I would prefer it if Arana attempted not to use her empathic abilities for the moment," the Doctor said to me.

I nodded to him, "I will try not to Doctor."

The Captain and I shared a small smile then she asked, "So how has your second day aboard Voyager been going Arana?"

"Well Captain," I paused for a moment thinking of how to phrase what I wanted to say next, "Even though I know I have had the ability to sense good and evil for years it seems that knowing that I am actually sensing emotions has made me more aware of them."

"Not surprising," broke in the Doctor, causing the Captain and I to turn and look at him inquiringly. "You interpreted the emotions you were receiving in the way you were taught to conceptualize them. And you probably assumed everything else was merely the proper insight that all clerics and paladins have to people's motivations and thoughts. From my reading, I would gather that most clerics and paladins are empathic to some degree. Whether you are born with the ability and naturally gravitate to such professions or whether or not you are granted it by your deities is something I haven't been able to determine yet. I'm hoping a detailed analysis of your genes will answer that question."

"Genes?" I asked puzzled.

"Hmm, think of them as individualized blueprints. Each person has a unique pattern, unless they have a twin of course, that determines exactly how they will grow from just a few cells to a fully developed adult," the Doctor explained.

I stared at him for a few moments trying to understand what he had just told me. "So these genes will tell you whether or not they instructed that these organelles I have be made?"

He smiled at me approvingly, "Exactly."

Apparently my guesses had been correct, or correct enough. As the Doctor continued about his tasks, which seemed to entail a lot of scans with the cylinder and tricorder the Captain said, "I should probably tell you a bit about Voyager. And the particular part of space we find ourselves in."


	9. Chapter 9

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 9**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: PG-13.

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History:

Summary: Arana has trouble sleeping, and has a frank conversation with Seven.

* * *

It had been four days since the Doctor had discovered that my 'genes' did not have 'blueprints' to cause me to be empathic or to make the organelles that stored energy. I was not certain why, but it seemed to bother both him and the Captain greatly. I gathered they both would have preferred it were not the case.

"So, something caused these organs to be formed; they aren't natural," the Captain had said with a frown.

"No, they're not," the Doctor replied with a matching frown.

I had stared at the both of them wondering why this seemed to bother them so. "Ilmater caused them to be formed so that I might become his priestess, as I desired." I emphasized the 'I desired', feeling that I needed to remind them that Ilmater did nothing to me without my consent.

"I'm sorry, Arana," the Captain had apologized "I didn't mean to imply that he had."

I had accepted her apology. But I knew she had apologized because she realized she had offended me, not because she accepted that Ilmater would not use his power in such a manner. I gathered from her reactions, then and later, that she was troubled by how active the Gods and Goddesses of Faerun were in our lives.

When I learned about Starfleet's Prime Directive from Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok the next day, I began, I thought, to understand the source of her objections. She was forbidden to interfere with, or influence, the development of less advanced cultures. Given the dichotomy of power between mortals and immortals on my world, I had no doubt that in her mind they were breaking a rule that was as important and cherished to her as doing my duty was to me.

I also realized that she was concerned that she was breaking this rule by training me in their ways. Normally they would have kept me sedated and returned me to my world without my ever being aware that I had been aboard Voyager. Failing that, I would have been returned as soon as possible, having seen as little of their technology as could possibly be managed.

The unusual nature of my arrival, her need for information from me, and the lack of a method of getting me back to my own realm, had initially led her to decide that I would become part of her crew. Then my revelation that I was here, as a representative of Torm and Ilmater, to find out what Bane was doing changed all of that. Now there was the possibility that I would be returning to Faerun when my task was over.

This, of course, brought up the Prime Directive and the issue of how it applied to my situation. I gathered there had been several conversations between the Captain, Commander Chakotay and Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok on how much information I should be given access to. On the second day Captain Janeway let me know what had been decided: I was to be taught only the basic sciences for now, and certainly no specifics as to how their technology operated.

When she explained to me her fear that I might bring back information that would lead to technologies being developed that we were not yet ready to have, I acquiesced; however, I was not certain what technology could do on Faerun that magic did not already. What I did understand, and sympathize with, was that she was sincerely concerned that their technology could have a negative impact on my culture, and that she did not want to break the rules of the organization she belonged to and respected deeply.

As I felt the same way about being both a Priestess of Ilmater and a Champion of Torm, I was certainly not going to try and persuade her that she should do otherwise. She and I decided that I would continue my training for now with both Tuvok and Seven. Upon hearing my concern that my weapons skills would grow rusty, she assigned Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim to assist me with developing a suitable holo-program for my use.

That had been three days ago. By now the three of us -- or four as Seven frequently dropped in to see how the holo-program was progressing and offer suggestions-- were almost done. I did not even have to put on my armor or bring my weapons with me, as the holo-program provided both when it began. At my insistence both the holo-armor and holo-weapons weighed the same as the actual items. As I reminded my colleagues, it would do me no good if I grew unused to what it was like to actually wear armor.

We had designed a variety of terrains and, again at my insistence, weather such as rain and the accompanying mud, for me to fight in. They had used the game as a resource and programmed in several Faerun creatures such as orcs, bugbears, goblins, dire wolves and dire bears along with several others.

"You regularly run into these things when you travel?" Ensign Kim had asked as he stood underneath a frozen bugbear, the largest of the goblin races, with its axe upraised. It was larger and taller than he, and he had done well making it closely resemble an actual bugbear. It was brutish in appearance, with greenish-white small eyes, hairy tan skin over corded muscles, and protruding canines. "He's certainly cleaner than any bugbear I've met," I commented with a grin.

"Eh?" said Ensign Kim absently as he continued working.

"You forgot the grime, and fleas," I commented.

He looked up at me at this and back at the bugbear, "Fleas?"

"Usually infested with them, to the point that after you kill one most people will not approach the corpse to see if it had anything of value or not," I replied. "Not that they usually do, unless they just took it from something else."

I looked over the bugbear and realized what was missing, "You forgot trophies."

"Trophies?" asked Lt. Paris.

"Severed hands, heads-- usually nailed on the shield in the case of hands, or carried by the hair on their belt in the case of heads," I indicated the proper positioning.

"I thought was just the artist!" said Ensign Kim.

"The picture had those?" I asked curiously.

"Yes," he replied, his revulsion obvious.

"Whoever drew it then knew about bugbears. I believe they use them for status among their own and to intimidate those they are trying to kill," I told him.

"Charming," commented Lt. Paris dryly.

I merely grinned at the both of them in reply.

I ate my meals with Seven, Icheb and the children. For the rest, my daily routine consisted of: several hours study; exercise in the 'gym' in the afternoons; and work on the holo-program in the evenings. At night, I tried to sleep.

By the time I had been on Voyager for six days, I had had five nights of broken sleep. It was starting to show. I was sitting in the research lab trying not to nod off over the computer terminal where I was studying--and failing. Seven had taken the children to the holo-deck to run a program she called 'Di Vinci's studio' where they would work with clay and paint. I guess I must have nodded off, for the next thing I knew I heard Seven say my name and tried to stand to greet her properly. I overbalanced and started to fall backwards; thankfully, Seven caught me about the shoulders and steadied me.

"Arana, are you ill?" Seven asked.

"Sorry, Milady, I am clumsy today. No not ill, just overtired," I replied, allowing my shoulders to slump in her grip as we were alone.

I felt a gentle pressure on my shoulders and then she pushed me back down into the chair and came around to look into my face. I could clearly see her concern as she examined me, undoubtedly noting the dark circles under my eyes and the fact I was paler than I should be.

"Why are you not sleeping?" she asked.

I hesitated for a moment, then, as the children were not around, "My experience with the Lovitarian priests was the first time I have been touched against my will since I was a child. It has brought up memories and feelings I had thought I was past," I admitted.

Seven stared at me and I could feel her uncertainty. "Perhaps the Doctor can help you," she said.

"A sleeping draught, yes, it may come to that. However, I would prefer to deal with the feelings that have been brought up rather than numb them with drugs."

I rubbed my face tiredly and thought I felt the light touch of a hand on my back, but it was gone when I looked up. Seven stepped away from me slightly and I was sure then it had been her; but she had obviously made herself uncomfortable with her action so I did not mention it though it warmed me.

"If you continue to have difficulty sleeping you will seek the Doctor's help?" she asked.

"I will, Milady," I answered.

She looked at me a moment longer then offered, "We could postpone your lesson if you are too fatigued."

I smiled, "You are kind, Milady, but I fear I would get no peaceful sleep even if I tried. I would prefer to continue studying. I hope that after a good 'workout' this evening I might be tired enough to sleep no matter what my mind may want to think about."

She nodded and left me, presumably to go to Astrometrics until we met for dinner. I had grown used to her manner and knew she meant no rudeness by it; she just did not see any use in conversation solely for the point of politeness. It was one of the reasons the other crewmembers saw her as cold and haughty. They were, however, misinterpreting her behavior, expecting her to act and react as they would.

Seven, of course, did not particularly mean anything by it except that she had no relevant information to share so she remained silent. It was a by product of her past, the Borg seeing no use for 'social banter' as I had heard the Doctor term it. Thus, she had never learned how. I believed that she regarded it as just one more adaptation she would have to make to humanity --- one that I had noticed made her particularly uncomfortable and anxious whenever either the Doctor or Captain Janeway insisted that she practice it.

My empathy, now that I was aware of it, seemed to be increasing in sensitivity almost daily. I seemed to be particularly attuned to Seven's emotions, and also, though to a lesser extent, to Captain Janeway's. I always knew when Seven was near just by her distinctive feel: ordered, usually calm and with an innate gentleness that was at odds with the image she projected to others.

This only made the times when she was anxious about something more obvious to me. And usually it was when she had to interact with the crew; then there was an underlying tension and unease in her. It was this uneasiness which caused her to act with the slight stiffness most of the crew associated with her. With me, when we were alone or with the Icheb and the children it was noticeably absent, and I held it as an honor that she felt comfortable enough around me to be at ease.

"Nay, I can always tell when you are near now, Milady," I answered Seven's question as I walked into my room from the bathing area, having washed and dressed after my exercise. Icheb would meet us in the mess hall, and the other children were already there having spent the afternoon along with Naomi there with Mr. Neelix watching over them.

"I was not aware your empathic ability was that advanced," Seven said with interest.

"I am more sensitive to certain people than others," I admitted somewhat shyly. "You and Captain Janeway I can always tell from others; usually I can tell Icheb and the children as well from those around them."

"Familiarity, perhaps," she offered. "You have been in contact with me and those you mentioned more frequently than with the remainder of the crew."

I nodded, "I suspect you are correct, Milady."

Seven shifted uneasily and I wondered what was bothering her, then she asked, "What do you sense?"

I smiled gently, "From you?" At her nod I closed my eyes and concentrated, "Right now curiosity and some unease. Usually you feel ordered, calm, and usually intent on what you are doing at the time. With the children you also feel protective." I opened my eyes and looked at her.

Seven nodded then admitted, "I am used to people assuming I have little or no emotions."

"I am sorry it disturbs you, Milady. I would never speak of them to anyone, except perhaps Captain Janeway, and then only with good cause," I tried to reassure her.

She nodded and relaxed somewhat, "We should proceed to the mess hall."

I nodded inwardly amused; obviously my reassurance had worked and the matter was now finished, thus we were on to the next matter at hand which apparently was not being late.

I had almost finished my meal and was listening to Icheb and Mezoti arguing about some point of spatial physics when Lt. Paris came over to the table. The conversation between the two was so far above my level of knowledge that I had no idea what they were arguing about, and was finding it somewhat embarrassing to know that the two of them knew so much more than I.

"Arana," Lt. Paris said attracting my attention and that of everyone else at the table.

I rose politely and returned the greeting, "Lt. Paris, I trust the evening finds you well and in good spirits?"

"Ah... yes, thanks. I was wondering if you would be interested in joining us in Holodeck 1, the Fair Haven program, for a few rounds of drinks. Play a few games… relax…" he said indicating the table he had come from where Lt. Torres and Ensign Kim were sitting and looking our direction.

I had been aware that the trio at the table was curious about me and wanted me to partake in activities with them. I gathered that they found it curious that I spent so much time in the company of Seven, Icheb and the children.

I was not unwilling to spend time with the three of them. But I found it very rude that they were so discourteous as to not invite Seven, especially as she was sitting at the table with me. Given her proximity, I was very aware of the fact she was now feeling distressed, which I assumed was due to the fact she obviously was not invited to come along as well.

I frowned at Lt. Paris in disapproval and received a blank look of surprise in return. I sighed under my breath before saying, "I have heard of this Fair Haven, it is I understand a public program?"

"Umm… yes," he replied still confused over my reaction.

I gave him another disapproving look and turned to Seven, "Milady, this Fair Haven sounds like an interesting distraction." I knew she would understand the reference and was not surprised when her look sharpened and then softened and she nodded to me.

"I found it interesting but have not visited it since it was repaired. Perhaps you should accept Lt. Paris's invitation," she said to me and obviously not looking at Lt. Paris.

"Ah, you're invited too of course, Seven… I mean if you're interested that is…it's just that you usually aren't," he trailed off, confusion evident on his face as he realized what had displeased me.

Seven finally glanced at him, "You are correct, and I should work on the Astrometrics data this evening." She directed the last at me.

I nodded and with my regret obvious in my tone said, "Your presence would greatly increase my enjoyment of the evening, Milady. But I understand if duty forbids your attendance." I tilted my head to the side and gave her my best wistful look. In this I was being quite sincere as I knew I would feel much more at ease if she were present. I was aware as I did so of Icheb and the children watching the scene intently, and I had no doubt they were analyzing everything that was occurring.

I could feel her reluctance as she glanced at Lt. Paris and the others; then she looked at me once again and I could sense her softening. I mouthed silently 'Please'.

Seven sighed inaudibly, "I will start the calculations and join you there." I smiled happily at her, feeling my tiredness lifting as I became far more interested in seeing this holo-program.

Out of the corner of my eye I noted Mezoti giving me a particularly intent look, and inwardly winced as I wondered what entirely too intelligent and pointed questions I would be on the receiving end of tomorrow. Icheb was certainly as intelligent and sensitive to situations, especially when they involved Seven, but was considerate enough of others not to ask. Rebi and Azan were more self-absorbed; and even if they noticed, their natural reticence usually meant they would not ask. Mezoti, however, let no such concerns stand between her and information gathering. I knew I should be thankful that she was choosing not to ask them now.

I turned and almost chuckled aloud at Lt. Paris's surprised expression, before he recovered himself and said to Seven, "We'll save you a chair at the table" He spoke with admirable sincerity, even though I sensed that he wasn't entirely comfortable about something. I suspected it had something to do with the occasional antagonistic interactions between Seven and Lt. Torres with whom he apparently shared an intimate relationship.

None the less, I was not about to socialize with anyone who was not accepting of Seven's presence as well. If they made her feel unwelcome, I would make my excuses and we would leave.

"When is my presence required for this excursion, Lt. Paris," I inquired politely.

"We were going to head there now, actually," he replied.

"Ah, I will have to join you in a while; Mezoti and I have a wager that must be decided," I said grinning at the young girl.

"You shall loose," Mezoti declared confidently.

"Mezoti," said Seven in a sharply rebuking tone.

"Nay, it is alright, Milady. Pride goes before a downfall," I said sagely.

Seven raised her brow at me and I could tell I was in trouble for encouraging the girl. But I could tell she was also curious.

"Rebi and Azan are you ready," I asked with uttermost seriousness. The two of them stood up eagerly and nodded, looking rather bright eyed.

I could see Lt. Paris looking puzzled but amused, "Well I wouldn't want to interrupt your wager, I'm sure we can wait for you." He said the last looking toward the other two who had disposed their food trays and now approached.

"What's up?" asked Lt. Torres looking on curiously.

"Champion Arana has wagered that she can carry Rebi and Azan from here to Cargo Bay 2," announced Mezoti. An analytical look passed over her face, "Given her size, muscular density, and the combined weight of Rebi and Azan, I believe she will have insufficient strength to do so."

Lt. Torres looked amused as she asked me, "How did this come about?"

"I made the mistake of offering to carry one on my shoulders and disappointed the other. So I said I would carry them both," I replied simply.

Kneeling low I extended my arms, bending them I instructed, "One on either side, hold onto my hands for balance. I don't want to risk dropping either of you."

As the two boys eagerly followed my instructions I could sense Seven's concern and looked her way. "I shall not drop them, Milady."

Seven frowned at me. "I do not want you to hurt yourself, or them," she said pointedly.

I grinned at her and restrained a groan as the two boys hopped up on my outstretched arms, "I will not."

Making a show of it I commented, "You two are heavier than I thought; perhaps I should have done this before you had eaten."

The two of them giggled and wiggled causing me to sway. Seven if possible looked even more anxious and I was certain she was about to call and end to the whole thing before I had a chance to do what I was planning. To forestall her, I looked at Mezoti who was looking a bit wide-eyed at the scene. "You are ready to accept the terms of the agreement?"

Mezoti nodded impatiently, "If you win I will listen to a Faerun saying and consider it."

"Then I will go ahead and give it to you and declare the wager over, for I am bound to carry out my word to Rebi and Azan regardless." Mezoti had an outraged look on her face at my declaring the wager over prematurely, but I continued not wanting to embarrass her. "Be wary of overconfidence: it leads one to overlooking an opponent's strengths and one's own weaknesses."

She frowned at me uncertainly as I looked back at her quite seriously. I concentrated inwardly for a moment then spoke, "Tulca," invoking the spell commonly called 'Bulls Strength'. I felt the spell's strength work its way through me, and suddenly the two boys were no burden at all.

I stood slowly and easily under their weight and looked down at Mezoti who had her mouth pursed together and her arms crossed as she frowned at me. I met her gaze for a long moment with kindness in my own. In a few seconds she unbent and admitted sheepishly, "I did not know you could use the stored energy in your body to make you stronger."

I nodded understandingly to her and smiled gently. Turning slowly, I met Seven's eyes as she watched us anxiously. "I am having no difficulty carrying them, Milady." I reassured her.

"We are," Rebi began, "fine," finished Azan.

Seven met what I knew were their pleading eyes and sighed, "We will go slowly," she ordered me.

"As you wish, Milady" I assured her.

Lt. Paris, who had been watching the events with a bemused smile said, "We will wait for you outside the Holodeck doors."

"I will meet you there shortly then," I answered and began to follow Seven from the mess hall.

"Why does she still call Seven 'Milady'?" I heard Lt. Torres say in a low disapproving voice to someone. I suspected she did not think I would overhear her so I continued on as if I had not.

As we approached the doors opened, and the Captain and Commander Chakotay entered and stopped short, looking up at the two boys, then at me.

"What's going on here?" asked Captain Janeway with a confused smile.

"Champion Arana," said Rebi and stopped as his brother Azan finished the sentence, "is carrying us to Cargo Bay 2."

"I see," said the Captain, though it was obvious that she did not. "And why is she carrying you there?"

"She promised," they both answered seriously and in unison.

"Well," she paused and with an amused look finished, "We can't have our paladin not carrying out her promises," and stepped further into the mess hall clearing the doorway. Commander Chakotay stepped back into the hallway, a broad grin on his face that crinkled the tattoo on his face and I carefully ducked down so the boys would clear the doorway and proceeded down the hall.

I could tell by the amused grins on the faces of those we met that Rebi and Azan were likely beaming broadly at their method of conveyance and I was pleased that they were having fun. They were certainly more considerately still than I would have been at that age, a fact I was thankful for as it made carrying them safely much easier.

"Thank you," Rebi started, "Champion Arana," finished Azan, both looking very bright eyed when they had gotten down after we arrived. Given their level of excitement, I wondered if Seven realized how lucky she was that they regenerated instead of her having to wait for them to unwind before going to bed. I watched as each of them stepped into their alcove and shut their eyes in their regenerative sleep. I always had the impulse to stay and watch over them as they looked so vulnerable, but reminded myself they were perfectly safe here; there was no one on this ship that would harm them.

"I will begin my computations in Astrometrics and join you on the Holodeck shortly," Seven informed me after the last of the children began their regeneration.

I bowed to her, a habit I had fallen back into when we were alone. "I will abide patiently until you arrive, Milady."

Seven shifted from one foot to the other, "You may use my designation if you would prefer."

I realized she had overheard the comment made by Lt. Torres in the mess hall. I smiled, "Are you uncomfortable with me calling you 'Milady' instead of Seven?" I inquired.

"No," she answered succinctly.

"Then I would prefer call you 'Milady', Milady," I replied quietly.

It was not as if I could detect Seven's every mood, I could only tell when her mood changed by a certain amount or if she was feeling something to a particular degree. I did know though that she liked me calling her Milady. When she was feeling unhappy, her mood lightened when I addressed her so, and I would frequently see her eyes brighten with pleasure.

It had caused me to wonder if she knew that I liked calling her 'Milady' because I held hope that someday she might be my lady. I had been attracted to her from that first day, and as time went on I only found her more attractive as I came to know her better. I still did not know if she could ever be interested in me in the same way, but she had never indicated to me that she was not interested; and indeed several of her actions could be interpreted that she did return my interest.

I had been staring at her musingly this entire time and Seven finally questioned, "Arana?"

I felt the blush in my cheeks and noted her gaze growing more questioning at my reaction. "I was just pondering something, Milady," I admitted.

She gazed at me inquiringly.

I decided to meet my fate head on and steeled myself for disappointment. Seven's querying look turned concerned as she noted my changed demeanor. "Milady," I began on a breath and wrestled with my sudden sharp fear of what her answer might be.

I self-depreciatingly noted that in many ways I would rather have a dozen bandits after my blood than pose this question. "You indicated to me that my interest in you was not taboo in your culture. But you have not informed me whether you find my interest acceptable or no. Are my attentions to you unwelcome? I do not want you to feel ill at ease around me, your friendship means too much to me."

Sevens eyes widened and she looked surprised and I though I detected a flash of distress, "I have never felt uncomfortable around you, Arana."

I noted with unhappiness that she had still not answered my question, and with concern I wondered if she thought that I would no longer be friends with her if she were to tell me she was not interested in me in that manner. "Milady, I will be your friend whether or not you ever return my interest in kind. You do not need to fear that I would withdraw from our friendship if it is an impossible attraction."

"I am not making myself clear," stated Seven after a moments pause. "I have only begun to think about possible relationships with others recently. My attempts at 'dating' did not end well." She said this shortly and I wondered what had happened during those dates for her to refer to them that way.

"I determined that there was not a suitable mate for me aboard Voyager, and suspended my efforts to explore that side of my humanity." Seven hesitated, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"And then you rescued me," I said.

"Yes," she continued. "The Doctor assumed that I would only be interested in the male members of the crew. I was aware that it was possible that I might be attracted to a female as well, but as I had not found any of the female crewmembers attractive up to that time, I did not contradict his assumptions."

Seven stopped but this time I stayed silent waiting for her to continue and listening intently to what she was telling me. I was also chastising myself thoroughly for not realizing before that Seven might have absolutely no experience in this matter. Not that I had much more, as my relationship with Alessa was my first and only one.

"I do not find your attraction to me unacceptable, and the thought of copulating with you is not distasteful. I do not know, however, if I can return your feelings in the manner I believe you desire," she said the last in a voice that had softened from the matter of fact tone with which she had started.

I felt the smile growing slowly on my face until it was quite broad, and my mood lightened considerably as the concern that she might tell me my interest was unwelcome to her lifted. "Acceptable," I borrowed one of her favorite phrases.

Seven's lips twitched at this and the serious mood that had grown between us lifted. In its place, however, was a certain tentativeness and I had no doubt she was wondering, as was I, where we went from here.

"May I pay court to you, Milady?" I asked hesitantly. I hadn't been certain enough of my feelings until now but something inside me had firmed over the course of our conversation and I realized with surprise how strongly I cared for her, even when she was acting stiff and unemotional.

Seven looked confused, "I am not familiar with that terminology. Is it the same as dating?"

I was familiar with the term from my studies of Federation Standard and considered her question. "People, at least the well born, do not date on Faerun. The man will ask the woman's parents or whoever is acting as her guardian for permission to court her, then if they both agree they will marry. As I am a woman interested in women, I have never followed that custom as such relationships are not… openly acknowledged there."

"Should I ask Captain Janeway's permission to court you?" I asked confused. I knew that such relationships were not only permissible here but legally acknowledged as well. Suddenly I was not certain how I should honorably proceed.

"Starfleet personnel are required to get clearance from their Commanding Officer and Medical Officer before initiating an intimate relationship with an alien species. However, as you are part human I do not believe the protocol would apply to you. And Captain Janeway while being my mentor is not my guardian," Seven replied dryly.

"I believe I should inform her of my intentions," I gained confidence as I worked through the intricacies of the customs of this realm and my own. I sensed Seven's mood change to match the frown on her face, and realized belatedly that Seven did not seem particularly happy with my proposed course of action. "Milady? You are not pleased with this?"

"I would prefer if you waited until I knew whether or not I could return your interest," Seven replied without visible emotion.

I flushed hotly, highly embarrassed at my inconsideration for her feelings. "Of course, Milady. My apologies, I am presuming too much."

"Apology accepted," Seven said looking at me more gently.

We stared at one another for a few moments and I realized that I had erred greatly in delving too deeply into the matter at this time. Tentatively I offered, "Perhaps we should simply carry on as before Milady. Except now I know that my attentions are not unwelcome to you."

Seven considered my words and I could tell they reassured her for she looked more relaxed, "Acceptable."

I offered a smile and was pleased to see she returned it. "I should go to meet Lt. Paris."

Seven nodded, "I shall start my calculations in Astrometrics."

"I look forward to you joining us Milady when you are done." I bowed to her and turned and exited the room with a light step.


	10. Chapter 10

Arana's Tale - Chapter 10

By Kudara

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: M (16+).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History:

Summary: Night at Fair Haven, Seven's solution for Arana's nightmares.

* * *

"I guess everyone made it to the Cargo Bay ok?" asked a smiling Ensign Kim as I approached the trio. 

I grinned back at him, "Yes, I believe I met their expectations."

Lt. Paris looked speculatively at me, "That spell… it's still in effect?"

I noticed Lt. Torres eyeing him with a slight frown after this statement, so I replied uncertainly, "Yes, it will enhance my strength for several more hours. Why?"

Lt. Torres looked as if she was about to say something; before she could, however, Ensign Kim spoke with a disapproving look at his friend, "I don't think Arana would be interested in arm wrestling Liam, Tom."

I cocked an eyebrow at Lt. Paris, amused. "You wish me to deceive a holo-character into an arm wrestling contest so you can win a wager?" While he struggled to come up with an answer, I though about the situation a little more. I continued, "For money that will vanish when you exit the holodeck?"

My mouth twitched as I struggled not to laugh at him. I would normally have frowned on his suggestion, but the fact that the people and the money involved were not real made the entire thing more amusing than offensive.

Lt. Torres and Ensign Kim started chuckling at him, and with a sheepish grin he finally admitted, "Well when you put it like that…"

He turned went into the Holodeck and we followed. The world we stepped into had just enough similarities to the towns with which I was familiar to cause a pang of homesickness. The street was laid of cobblestone, and the houses and shops that lined it were made of wood and brick, with hanging wooden signs announcing their name and purpose.

Just then a man went by, perched on upon a device with two wheels. At a glance I realized that it moved using the same mechanical means as a mill.

"What is that? The means of conveyance the goodman is seated upon?" I asked curiously, looking down the street after the man.

"It's a bicycle," answered Lt. Paris after a moment's hesitation.

The surprised look on his face when he realized what I was referring to sharply reminded me of my relative ignorance of this realm. I nodded, suddenly realizing that the device, while new and clever seeming to me, was more than likely ancient technology to them. I though of mentioning that it used the same mechanics as a mill, but decided to remain quiet as they undoubtedly already knew that.

"Um… well, Sullivan's is just down this way," Lt. Paris said breaking the moment of uncomfortable silence.

I nodded and fell into step with them, wishing for a moment that Seven were here instead. I would have felt comfortable talking about the similarities of the device and a mill with her; and she, as much as she was able given the Captain's restrictions, would have explained the device further to me.

I knew now, given what I had over heard and the assignments that had been given her, that Seven was considered one of the most technically competent persons aboard Voyager. Yet she had never made me feel as if I was stupid when I was unfamiliar with this realm's technology. Seven would always pause for a moment, and I got the impression she was making an internal note that the subject was unknown to me; then she would answer me as clearly as she was able. I suspected that by now she had a fairly good idea from my past questions what I would know and what would be unfamiliar to me.

We passed several men and women, all of whom greeted Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim by name, and finally stopped in front of a building painted in green and yellow. A rocking chair sat on the small front porch. Above the door was a sign depicting a lion's head and harp and announcing that Sullivan's was a public house, a term I was familiar with from Faerun. I smiled at this and followed my companions into the tavern.

It was crowded inside, but we easily found an empty table as most of the characters in the program seemed to be either standing by the bar or talking with one another.

"Guinness, Arana?" asked Ensign Kim courteously as we sat down.

I glanced at him confused then saw past his shoulder a sign that read 'Guinness extra stout, daily delivery' behind the bar. I was quite familiar with the stout style of beer, at least the Faerun idea of it, but had never heard the term extra stout. With interest and some trepidation I nodded, "Yes please, Ensign Kim that would be welcome."

When he returned with two glasses of the dark brew I thanked him and then stared for a moment, dismayed when he sat down next to me. I had hoped that chair would be Seven's but could think of no acceptably polite way to ask him to move. I took a sip of the drink to cover my moment of impoliteness and was pleasantly surprised at the taste. It was not a smooth stout, being more hopped than I was used to, but the bitterness combined well with the heavy dark malt taste.

"Do you like it?" Ensign Kim inquired seriously.

"Yes, it is quite pleasant," I answered and noted with confusion that Lt.'s Paris and Torres were watching us with slight, but definitely amused expressions. Suddenly it dawned on me that perhaps the invitation had been issued for more Ensign Kim's benefit than any strong desire on their part to get to know me. It also explained the exclusion of Seven: they wanted their friend to have a chance to court me instead, of me spending most of the time talking to her.

"So, what's it like on Faerun?" he asked me brightly, resting his forearms on the table and leaning forward.

The situation, combined with the extremely general nature of the question, confused me and I fell into more familiar speech patterns, "Milord, I am uncertain as to your meaning?"

They all looked at me, surprised, and Ensign Kim said, "Harry, you can call me just Harry. I… ah… mean how would you usually spend your day?" He paused and then added, "If you were there I mean."

I was suddenly struck by a sense of unreality. He was good looking, but I doubted I would have been interested in him, even if I were interested in men. He seemed so young, even though I knew he was around the same age as Seven.

"Well," I began hesitantly, "I would rise and say morning prayers in my room, then join the senior knights to inspect the knight-trainees. I would practice arms for most of the morning and break at midday for a meal."

I went on to explain my typical day as I watched the door, hoping that Seven would arrive soon as I was now uneasily aware of the attraction Ensign Kim was feeling toward me. I was certainly not frightened of him in any way, but I was also not particularly feeling up to figuring out how to gently dissuade him. Inwardly berating myself for my lack of discipline, I forced myself to focus on the conversation, and to determine how to politely indicate my lack of interest.

"So where do dragons fit into things? No offense, but that sounds boring. I got the impression your life was a lot more adventurous than that," Lt. Torres commented, a speculative look on her face as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

Since I had made it sound pretty boring on purpose, wondering if perhaps Ensign Kim was enamored more of the idea of a paladin than he was in me; I was not offended by her question. I did wish, however, that she had not brought up the discrepancy between my story in the mess hall and the recital of my daily activities. I certainly had not misrepresented my life. What I had told them was entirely accurate for most of the year. I had just purposefully not mentioned the other part, where I spent most of my time in the saddle away from the temple and life frequently was interesting.

I chuckled depreciatingly, "That was seven years ago; I had many less duties to the church than I do now." I paused for a moment as I considered what to say next, then continued, "Life is certainly more interesting than that occasionally, but you asked what my life was typically like. I'm certain you could say the same about your own lives. I've heard about a few of the things you've went through over the past six years."

"Well that's true," nodded Lt. Paris as he leaned back in his chair, "Most of my time on the bridge is pretty boring, with only a few course corrections to input. Other times though, as you say, are a lot more interesting."

"So, what are some of the more interesting parts? Say in the past year?" asked Lt. Torres with an intent look.

I was mentally reviewing the events of the past twelve months when I became aware of a change in my environment, and at the familiar mental presence looked toward the door. When Seven entered Sullivan's a few seconds later, I smiled at her both in welcome and in relief. She looked at me quizzically, returning the smile for a moment before replacing it with her usual impassive mask.

I rose as she came toward the table and greeted her, "I trust you had no difficulties in your work, Milady?" Out of the corner of my eye I caught the now expected scowl on Lt. Torres' face and wondered why exactly she had an issue with the way I addressed Seven.

Seven took the only chair left, one between Ensign Kim and Lt. Parris, "The necessary calculations are running, they should be completed in two hours twenty minutes."

"Would you like any refreshment, Milady?" I asked still standing.

"Not at this time, Arana. Thank you," Seven replied.

I sat down and turned toward Lt. Torres, "A Paladin of Torm follows the fourfold duties to faith, family, masters, and all good beings." I left out the 'of Faerun' that was usually added as I knew it was no longer applicable, Torm obviously meant me to serve the good beings of this realm as well.

Taking a breath I continued, "And also the Penance of Duty that Torm instituted after corruption afflicted the church during the Time of Troubles. Those being: the Debt of Dereliction, by which we must strive to eliminate the cults of Cyric and Bane and to work against the efforts of the Zhentarim; the Debt of Destruction, where we record and attempt to heal zones of dead and wild magic;, and the Debt of Persecution, in which we are tasked to aid and respect the churches and followers of all other goodly religions."

I took a sip of beer and with a certain level of melancholy continued, "As I also serve Ilmater, I am tasked with helping those who are in pain, oppressed or in great need. It is my duty to seek out and thwart those who server Loviatar."

I had been staring at the table but now looked up into Lt. Torres eyes. "Because of my service to both Ilmater and Torm, I am often chosen for tasks that combine those duties. Six months ago I exposed a nobleman who was kidnapping children from the poorer sections of Waterdeep and selling them to the highest bidder. Some were sold to noblemen with a taste for children; some were sold to those who in turn profited off the children by prostituting them."

Seven had never heard of this particular event, but I had told her enough of what I was usually called to do that she was not nearly as shocked as the other three were. "I tell the children of dragons because those tales are suitable for their ears. But such happenings are rare; usually I am called to serve in much grimmer circumstances. My usual duties are not suitable for tales of entertainment, so I do not speak of them; and I am certain you would not desire the victim's pain to be diminished by such a usage." I finished feeling all of my weariness descending upon me.

Lt. Torres stared at me shocked, "Kathless!… Sorry, but Faerun sounds like a horrible place to live."

I was surprised by her response, until I realized what she had heard of my home. "Pardon, Lt. Torres. I did not mean for it to seem so, for that would be a falsehood. Most people live out their lives without being touched by evil. It is only because I seek out evil that I come into such frequent contact with it."

I considered what I could tell then of Faerun to show my home world in a more fair light. Searching through my memories for tales which would show the goodness of the folk of Faerun, I realized that they usually went hand in hand with times that were less than lighthearted. Yet they were the ones that symbolized most to me why I continued to struggle with all my strength against those that would destroy it.

"Three years ago the spring rains were unusually plentiful causing floods and mudslides. I along with several of my fellow knights traveled through deep mud to reach one village which had been particularly hard hit. We carried with us what food supplies and blankets we could on the pack horses, and all of us had the gift of healing in one form or another. When we arrived it was clear that though we and the supplies which we had brought were very welcome, our aid was not desperately needed." I smiled somewhat ruefully as I related this.

"When we rode into the town I was stuck by the pervading sense of determination that existed among them. Everywhere I looked were village folk helping one another with tasks simple and complex. We lent our skills and the strength of our backs and of our hands to healing those that were injured and setting up shelter for those whose homes had been destroyed by the waters."

"I had the last watch of the night, when darkness gives way to light. The dawning of that day was still, and the weather which had been clouded throughout the night was starting to clear, the clouds tattering against the sky. When the east began to glow with light and send banners of color across the sky, the village gathered. A lone young man stepped before them and faced the east and, with a voice that was marvelously clear and bell–like, began the Hymn for Renewal to Lathander the Morninglord."

On that morning, moved by a sense of rightness to the scene, I had joined the young man and lifted my voice in prayer for the village's renewal as well. Now I rose to my feet and closing my eyes to concentrate began the Hymn putting my heart and soul into the words of comfort, hope and faith that the dawn would bring new beginnings. When I finished I opened my eyes and looked at my audience.

Surprise was present on all four faces. Seven glanced at me questioningly, as if to ask whether or not the song was merely a retelling of the past or a prayer for myself. She must have read some acknowledgement in my gaze, for her glance changed from a question to muted concern.

"Bravo… where did you learn to sing like that?" asked Lt. Paris in an openly appreciative tone.

"That was really good," added Ensign Kim right after him admiringly.

Lt. Torres added her agreement and they all looked at me expectantly. The raised questioning metallic brow from and otherwise quiet Seven let me know she was curious as well.

"It is not unusual for squires to be asked if they have any musical gifts to offer for an evening's entertainment. One of the priests heard me singing and insisted that I receive voice training. Since then music has been somewhat of a hobby for me; I do not have anywhere near the quality of voice of a trained bard but it serves well enough for common use." I replied.

"Common? Your voice is hardly common," remarked Lt. Paris.

"Do you play anything?" asked Ensign Kim.

"I have had some training on playing the flute," I admitted. "I began while I was a squire and then when I visited Aglarond six years ago searching to see if I had any surviving family I trained for a few months at the bard school there."

"Did you find anyone?" asked Lt. Torres somberly.

"I did find some information, but no surviving relatives. I found that my father's mother was named Marana, perhaps my name was taken partly from hers. She was half-elven. No one knew who the sire of my father was, and she apparently refused to name him. I found out that she died before my father and mother married," I answered her and she nodded.

"What does a Faerun flute look like?" asked Lt. Paris eagerly.

Using my hands to show the dimensions I described the length, the placement of the finger holes and mouth piece and the woods usually used to construct them.

Then nothing would do but that we all proceed next door to the holodeck research lab so that Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim could recreate it. For my part I was fascinated with watching the flute materialize and dematerialize as I made changes to their initial idea. Finally it at least looked correct, being of simple design with the mouth hole placed on the side and two groupings of three holes and then two holes at the end of its length.

I had learned on the standard Faerun flute, but after my training in Aglorond I had taken up the elven longhorn flute which was longer by several inches. This added to the depth of the tone the instrument was able to produce. Finally it was ready for me to try and with a bemused smile I reached out and grasped the flute which was hanging in mid air.

I tested the weight of it in one hand and suspected it was perhaps slightly lighter than it should be. Lifting it to my lips I placed my fingers over the holes and gently blew into the mouth hole. The resulting sound was not displeasing but it was not what I expected.

"The tone is not what you desired?" asked Seven.

"No, Milady. It is higher in pitch by an octave and the tone is sharper than it should be. The instrument also feels rather lighter than what I am used to." I answered looking over the flute carefully.

"The density of the material can be adjusted. Computer adjust flute properties to play in next lower octave range," Seven ordered. When the "Modification complete," came back she continued after looking at the console, "Change material of flute to blackwood."

Ensign Kim said approvingly, "That should soften the tone."

When I next picked up the instrument I nodded approvingly at its weight. This time when I blew into it the tone was much improved and I smiled warmly at Seven.

Her lips curled up in a slight smile in return before she asked, "The pitch and tone are correct now?"

Before answering her I played a short section of melody, listening closely as I did so. After a few minutes I paused satisfied, "Yes, Milady, they are."

"May I?" asked Ensign Kim looking eagerly at the flute.

"Certainly Ensign," I replied and handed it to him. He and Lt. Paris fell to discussing the differences between it and an Irish flute and with their attention off me I realized suddenly how bone tired I was. Things were starting to feel distant, as if they were not quite real. The surge of energy I had gotten that had allowed me to discuss the nature of my feelings for Seven and be willing to investigate the holodeck had disappeared.

"I believe it is time Arana slept," I heard Seven say and I looked up at her from where I had been absently gazing at the hologrid walls in a waking doze.

"She's not one of the children, Seven" Lt. Torres replied in an irritated tone.

I was torn between the dictates of politeness and the desire to agree with Seven, it was after all the truth, I did need to sleep.

Seven raised one brow and said in a dry tone, "I am aware of that Lt. Torres. I am also aware of the fact that she was fatigued during her study session this morning."

"Hey, if you're tired just let us know," said Ensign Kim, concern apparent in his tone.

I met Seven's eyes and realized how concerned she was for me. "I am fatigued," I admitted.

"You know if your having trouble sleeping you should probably have the Doctor look you over, make sure there isn't a physical reason for it." commented Lt. Paris frowning slightly at me.

"I have already given my assurances to Lady Seven that I will do so if it continues Lt. Paris," I replied mildly trying to hide my discomfiture at the thought.

His eyes widened in incredulity. From behind me I heard a snort and then Lt. Torres said in a sarcastic tone, "Lady Seven?"

I stiffened at the discourtesy but before I could reply Seven said calmly, "Champion Arana addresses me in the manner in which she feels most comfortable, in accordance with the customs of her people."

Lt. Paris's eyes flickered between where Seven was standing and where Lt. Torres was standing then returned to me in the silence that followed, "Is that the case? You would feel more comfortable calling me by Lt. Paris rather than Tom." he asked with what I suspected was a cautious phasing.

"I mean no disrespect to your customs Lt. Paris, nor would I be spurning the offer of friendship I know you mean by offering the use of it. But I would be more comfortable using your rank than your birth name given the newness of our acquaintance." I admitted.

The three officers looked equally uncertain how to reply to my statement until Lt. Torres blurted out "Do you call anyone by their first name?" in a disbelieving tone.

I turned toward her noting the crossed arm defensiveness of her posture, before replying politely. "Three Lt. Torres, the Senior Priest of Ilmater, Father Tormlin who rescued me from slavery, Champion Kurn one of my fellow Knights at Waterdeep and the Lady Alessea."

"Oh," Lt. Torres suddenly appeared much less certain of herself.

"So first names are used only between close friends on Faerun?" asked Ensign Kim.

I frowned slightly trying to figure out how to answer him honestly, "Perhaps more so among the Knights of Torm, Tyr and Helm who frequently serve or interact with the upper Nobility, than among some of the other Knightly Orders. It is a matter of degree of formality, and my order is one of the most formal in their manner of speech and action. The use of first names is not… encouraged unless between as you say, close friends or family, Ensign Kim."

He said sincerely, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable earlier by insisting you use my first name. Please just call me Ensign Kim for now."

"So umm," I heard Lt. Paris say. I turned to him and looked inquisitively at who he was suddenly struggling with what I could clearly sense was amusement, "If things normally are done so formally, and you actually prefer that, I assume that if someone wanted to get to know you they would have to ask the Captain first?"

"If they sought my hand in marriage? Yes of course, anything else would be highly improper." I replied sternly suddenly understanding his amusement.

"Marriage?" the strangled sounding question came from Ensign Kim.

I frowned at him, "Ensign Kim, in Faerun suggesting that a woman would accept any other type of relationship with a man but marriage would be a grave insult to her honor. I trust that you did not mean to insult mine?"

Ensign Kim obviously retreating to firmer ground replied, "No, no, of course not."

Even though he was obviously teasing Ensign Kim, I silently thanked Lt. Paris for his comment. Suddenly Ensign Kim didn't look quite so eager to get to know me.

"I believe it is time to 'call it a night'" said Seven.

"Of course, Milady," I agreed with alacrity turning toward her. She was looking rather thoughtfully at Ensign Kim but at my motion returned her attention to me.

This time no one objected to our leaving and I heard Lt. Paris comment before the door shut behind us, "Well Harry, you sure know how to pick em."

"Deck 7" Seven said as we entered the turbo lift and I glanced at her curiously, "Milady I am not escorting you to the Cargo Bay?"

"No, I have researched the problem you are having and believe I have a solution. If I complete my work in your quarters while you are sleeping I believe with your empathic awareness of my presence I will disrupt your dreaming." she answered. I frowned trying to understand her meaning, "I will not 'fit' into the dream." Seven clarified.

While I was struggling with trying to determine whether it would be proper for her to do so, given my declaration of interest, Seven continued in a softer tone, "I wish to assist you Arana, I am concerned that you will damage yourself if this continues."

"As you wish, Milady," I found myself answering, unable to deny her.

When we entered my quarters I excused myself and went to the bathing room while she brought up the information she needed to analyze at my computer terminal.

When I finished my absolutions I entered the main room again and prepared to go to bed.

Seven glanced up from her work and raised a brow at the shirt and breeches I was wearing, "You do not wear specific sleeping attire?'

"No, Milady. This is what I am accustomed to." I answered.

Seven nodded then with a softer look, "Good night, Arana."

"Good night, Milady." I hesitated, "Thank you."

Seven nodded then ordered the lights down and turned back to her work.

In the darkness the screen of the console lit her face softly and I allowed myself to admire her openly, tracing with my eyes the outline of her profile. She stared intently at the screen a slight frown of concentration upon her face as she tapped upon the keys, manipulating the data I guessed. Her presence in the room was almost palatable to me, and I eventually drifted off feeling warmed and comforted by it.

Through the ringing in my ears I heard my master Lord Druss say, "Stupid slave, I don't know why you fight me. I'll always win." as he grabbed my mouth and forced the drug down my throat. Within a few minutes things took on an unreal quality and I felt the drug sapping the strength to fight from me.

He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to my feet and then over to the bed where he forced me to bend over. The air hitting my back side told me he had lifted my skirt and I tried to find the strength to fight him, pleading with him to stop. Even as I did so, I despised myself for my pleading. He enjoyed it when I pleaded with him, and knew I would not without the effect of the drug, which was of course why he used it.

But something this time was different, there was someone here, Lord Druss faded away and I felt calmer. It seemed as if I heard my name and I murmured, "Seven?" and reached for her. In the nether world between waking and dreaming I felt her hand clasp mine and pulled it to my chest and wrapped myself around it knowing that she would protect me and slipped back into sleep.

* * *

Seven had been absorbed in analyzing the day's astrometrics data when she realized that Arana was experiencing a nightmare. Seven clearly heard, "No, I don't want to take it." and looked over in concern. When Arana had begun pleading in a voice that sounded much younger with some Lord Druss not to touch her Seven had come over to wake her. 

"Seven" Arana had murmured her name and reached out toward her. No Milady, no Lady Seven. Just Seven.

Seven grasped Arana's hand with her left one almost absently as she was still trying to analyze the feelings that had just swept through her at Arana's use of her name. Then she stared bemused as Arana pulled her hand to her chest, nestling it against the skin above her heart. Seven waited for Arana to let her hand go but apparently Arana had fallen back asleep and showed no signs that she was willing to let Seven have her hand back.

Seven sighed inaudibly and shifted to a more comfortable position; her internal chronometer told her it was only two hours until the time for which Arana had told the computer to awaken her. She attempted to continue her analysis from memory but found herself distracted by various sensory inputs. The feel of Arana's heart beating against the exoskeleton of her left hand, the fact that Arana's skin was even paler than her own, how in sleep Arana appeared so much more vulnerable than during the day.

Finally giving up the effort to continue her work she concentrated upon the last, studying Arana's face intently. In public Arana always appeared strong and confident, compassionate and kind, but with a certain sternness that Seven knew most of those who had met her found intimidating. To Seven and the children she showed a gentler side, one that was exceptionally forgiving and supportive.

It was often too easy to forget that only a week ago she had been near death. Sometimes Seven felt she was the only one who remembered exactly how damaged Arana had been. Now examining Arana's face in the dimness of the room Seven found herself noting the length of Arana's eyelashes, the curve of her ear as it arched upward toward it's tip, the planes and lines of her face. Relaxed now in sleep Arana's face was softer and there was a subtle look of vulnerability and sorrow there.

Dropping her gaze to her hand where Arana held it tightly Seven was suddenly fiercely glad that that it was she that Arana let see this part of her. The part that wasn't always strong, wasn't always confident, the part that needed someone to help her, to keep away the dreams.

As the time passed Seven watched Arana sleep and hoped that in the morning that the golden flecks, which Seven had noted with anxiety had been decreasing as she became more and more fatigued, would be back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 11**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: M (16+) memories of child sexual abuse (not in-depth).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 05/09/05

Summary: Arana's nightmares continue; Seven helps her understand the reason she is having them.

* * *

I awoke -- not immediately as I usually did, but slowly, feeling warm, cared for and protected. More asleep than awake, I was dimly aware that I was holding Seven's metal banded hand against me, and that it had driven away the nightmares from my sleep. Feeling very affectionate and grateful, and not yet truly awake, I tugged her hand upward and rested my cheek against it. Her hand opened, and I sighed in contentment as I nestled my face against it.

I dozed for only a few seconds before I realized that I was not in fact dreaming and opened my eyes in sudden surprise. Seven was seated beside the bed regarding me intently as I cradled her hand against my face. She did not look angry or upset, if anything I though she looked… intrigued, perhaps, though in the dim light it was hard to tell.

"Milady," I hesitantly said, uncertain of exactly how to act. I knew I should be doing several things, like letting her hand go, sitting up and putting a more proper distance between us. But I did not want to.

"You called me Seven, earlier," she replied quietly, her gaze never leaving my face, or wavering in its intensity.

In the darkness, cradling her hand against my face it did not seem surprising that I had done so. "Seven," I repeated softly. "What?" I asked, confused.

Somehow she knew what I meant, "You were having a nightmare. When I came over to wake you, you held out your hand. When I took it, you pulled my hand against your chest. I decided to not wake you by attempting to withdraw and you have slept soundly since."

"Oh," my mouth formed the word though I did not say it and I felt my face heat in a flush of embarrassment.

"Arana," uncharacteristically Seven hesitated before she continued, looking troubled. "You said in your sleep, 'I don't want to take it'. May I ask what you were talking about?"

Shame and anger flooded through me and I could not meet her gaze, but dropped mine to the sheeting. "As we got older I fought against him more; he would give me a drug that made me weaker." I paused for a long moment then continued, "It also had the effect of making me more easily terrified, so that I would beg and plead with him."

The feel of Seven gently moving her fingers against my face in a brief caress brought my eyes back to her face. "That is why you do not want to take any sedatives."

It had not been a question. "I do not like them; I dislike being less than fully in control of myself."

"Is that what caused the dream?" Seven asked.

Her voice was tense. I thought I caught a flash of anger in her face and realized she was about to become irate with Lt. Paris, thinking he was the cause of my dreams.

"No," I replied tersely, not inclined to reveal the true cause of my turmoil.

Seven remained quiet watching me, concern and compassion almost radiating off her, eroding my resistance to tell her why all these old memories were surfacing. Conspiring against me were my own emotions, which wanted me to let her in, to lean on her strength for a little while. Against that was the fear that the beginning of any relationship between us would be based upon pity.

Remembering the ending of my relationship with Alessea I sat up, ignoring the bereft feeling that passed over me at leaving the comfort of Seven's touch. "I do not want you to pity me, Milady," I said somewhat harshly.

I sensed Seven's reactions to my words before she flinched; it was as if I had slapped her. Before she could retreat I slipped off the bed and fell to my knees before her where she was still sitting, "Forgive me, I did not mean to hurt you. I…" I felt her intent to pull away as I hesitated and forced the next words out, "I am afraid."

"Of what?" Seven asked. Her tone was not particularly encouraging, but she showed no further signs of standing.

I closed my eyes and mustered up my courage against the old hurt and self doubt, "Of repeating the mistakes of my relationship with Alessea with you."

"Explain," Seven said shortly.

I opened my eyes at her tone and glanced at her carefully controlled expression, feeling despair. I did not particularly want to admit that Alessea had only been with me because she wanted to 'repair' me. Yet, if I wanted to mend this, I knew that I needed to be honest.

"Alessea is a priestess of Sune, a bit unusual for a dragon but…" I shrugged looking up to meet Seven's gaze and was relieved to see she appeared to be listening at least, though her face showed an impassiveness that she usually reserved for those she did not entirely trust. I flinched at this sign of the damage I had done and my gaze fell again.

To my surprise she reached up and cupped my chin with her hand, lifting my gaze to hers and seeing something there that obviously caused her concern. Ever so gently she ran a thumb across my cheek, then lowered her hand to her lap "Continue.".

I fumbled with the next few words; it was not something I had spoken of to anyone before. "She saw in my eyes how I flinched inside when someone touched me with the least bit of desire in them, and that I felt ill if anyone even looked upon me with desire. I had gotten over most of my fears with the help of Father Tormlin, but had decided that I would never let anyone touch me like that again."

"To make a long story short, she decided that she would be the one to repair what was broken in me and set about…" I blushed slightly, "Well she set about seducing me and eventually succeeded."

I glanced at Seven nervously, only to see the raised brow and realized that she was surprised by my admission.

I tried a smile but felt that I failed miserably when the surprised look on Seven's face faded to be replaced with one of concern and puzzlement.

"She did teach me that such touches were not supposed to be about humiliation, pain and fear. And for that I am still grateful to her, that she taught me that such touches could also bring pleasure. But in the end when I realized that she had sought me out because she pitied me and felt a need to mend something that was broken…" I paused for a long moment, then with a sigh, "Pity is not a good basis for a relationship; it is perhaps fine for the one being kind, but for the other… one ends up feeling lessened."

"I left her when I realized why she had sought me out. I was humiliated and angry, and filled with new doubts that anyone could actually want someone with such a past as I. It was only several years later that we met again and I forgave her and we became friends." I looked up to meet Seven's eyes, and found her studying me intently.

Seven began speaking "I became curious about relationships and why various crewmembers formed them or expended a great deal of energy attempting to form them. During my studies I learned some of the reasons why this was. Physical pleasure was one reason but not the primary reason to form a permanent or semi-permanent relationship. Such a relationship forms when two people begin to support one another both in their mutual efforts and their individual efforts."

"I do not pity you, I do not consider you to be broken or defective in some manner that requires repair. As you indicated that you wished to form a permanent relationship with me, I have attempted to offer you support while you recover from the damage that the Lovitarians did to you. If you are unwilling to accept my support I am uncertain as to why you would state that such a relationship was your intention." Seven finished and waited apparent impassively, but I could feel her hurt.

I had never quite heard anyone describe a relationship in quite such unemotional terms but I had to admit that she was right, a substantial part of any relationship, whether intimate or platonic was in part an agreement of mutual support to one another. And I had just not only rebuffed her attempt to support me, but rebuffed with the clear implication that she had been wrong to even offer it.

Remorse filled me, "I am sorry, Lady Seven, I was wrong to say what I did, and heartily wish I could take back the words that hurt you. But that is not within my ability and I can only ask if you can find it within yourself to forgive me." I fought against the desire to cry as I detested women who used tears as an emotional ploy to obtain forgiveness.

A sudden clear feeling of worry from her broke through my misery as she focused upon my face. I wondered at it for a moment before her words distracted me, "You have been calling me Seven," she said gently and I knew that I was forgiven.

"Seven," I repeated obediently, "Thank you."

Once again she reached out to touch my face, this time I leaned into her touch trying to show her my acceptance of the emotional support she was offering. "You have only slept for three hours, you need more sleep. I will request the day off and allow Icheb to take over the days lessons for Metozi, Rebi and Azan."

I opened my mouth to say that it was not necessary for her to do this but noticed the slightly challenging look in her eye before being stupid enough to actually utter the words. Instead I merely said, "As you will."

Seven moved as if to withdraw but I reached up and grabbed her hand and held it to my face, "It is hard for me to be weak in front of you. I want to show you that I can protect you, care for you."

Seven gave me a familiar look, it was the same one she gave Metozi when the girl was bring difficult for no apparent reason and it left me in no doubt what her opinion was of my recent statement. In a dry tone Seven replied, "I have no doubt that if I was in danger or needed your care that you would be able to do what was needed to resolve the situation. Weak is not a term I would apply to you, Arana."

I looked back at her somewhat warily and hazarded, "stubborn?"

"I believe that term might fit your nature more closely," Seven replied with a definite quirk of her lips.

I flushed caught between embarrassment and pleasure at her agreement and dropped my eyes from hers for a moment. Thus I was caught by surprise when she leaned in and brushed her lips across mine setting my entire body suddenly a tingle with a sudden intense awareness of her.

We stared at each other, I was surprised by her action and I was certain that she was surprised that she had done so as well. Without thinking I blurted, "That will not make me sleep easily," then blushed furiously.

Seven's lips curled into a smile as she watched me, then she rose without speaking and went to the console, presumably to put in her request and give her instructions to Icheb. I rose and returned as ordered to my bed and lay down. I couldn't help but bring a hand to my lips as I remembered the brush of Seven's lips against mine and I was rather foolishly pleased that she apparently liked my stubbornness.

The feeling drained away like water down a steep slope when I realized that I had not revealed to her why I though I was being plagued by dreams. Cowardice, one of the worst failings a knight could fall prey too. That I had almost let fear strip me of all that I held myself to be was not something I could forgive. How could I admit my weakness to her? I did not think I could bear her to turn away from me with disillusionment in her eyes.

I thought my self-doubt would keep me awake but even it was no match for my fatigue. As before, the sound of Seven working at the console lulled me to sleep.

It was the first day in Lord Durass's manor, the first taste of exactly how bad my life was about to be. I and the other two female slaves had been stripped of clothing in front of Lord Durass's hired employees. Then he told us that if we displeased him he would let them have us. To make it clear what he meant, he forced us to walk among his employees and let them touch us as they wanted.

We were lead up to his room and chained to the wall. At first this seemed slightly better as the servants filled up his bath and he bathed. When he was done he took one of the other girls down and wrapped a cloth around her neck and proceeded to rape her while half choking her. When he was done with her, he chained her to the wall and left her there completely terrified, and crying. A quarter candle mark later it was my turn.

Knowing what was about to happen I fought him, attempting to kick and bite while letting him know in no uncertain way that I thought he was nothing more than a coward and a bully. Lord Durass was not amused, and two blows across the face later I found myself struggling face down over the edge of the bed on the verge of blacking out from lack of air and the pain of what he was doing to me.

Falling onto a hard surface brought me partially out of the dream only to remind me of lying on Lord Durass's floor afterward holding my bruised throat and curling myself up into a ball against the pain he had inflicted. Breathing hoarsely on the floor I only became fully aware of when and where I was when Seven knelt beside me calling my name in clear tones of worry and asking if she should contact the Doctor.

"No, no, I'll be alright. Just…," I clenched my teeth together to stop them from chattering as I began shaking in reaction. It had felt so much like I had been there reliving that horrible day.

"Arana what is wrong?" asked Seven anxiously.

I felt her hand on my shoulder urging me onto my side and allowed her do to so, curling up and resting my head on the floor as I strove to bring myself under control and shake off the lingering effects of the dream.

Finally I managed to stop shaking and answered her, "A dream, just one of a very bad day, the first day in Lord Durass's household." I sat up as I said this and wrapped my arms around my knees, pulling them against my chest, and rested my head on my knees as I still felt queasy.

The feel of Seven's hand stroking my hair caused me to lift my head and look at her. I do not know which of us moved first, Seven because of the obvious misery in my eyes, or me because of the desire to comfort me I felt clearly from her. But, somehow I ended up burying my face in Seven's shoulder and crying silently as she held me awkwardly.

"Arana, what was the dream about?" asked Seven after I seemed calmer.

"You do not want to know," I whispered into the fabric of her jumpsuit.

Seven was silent above me for almost a minute before she replied. "I researched dreaming after I completed my astrometrics analysis. My research indicates that disturbing dreams or nightmares are frequently the result of a difficulty that the person is trying to resolve, frequently of a highly emotional nature that the person experiencing the dreams may or may not be fully cognitively aware of."

Seven stopped a moment to shift position, bending her knees and allowing her thighs to support my back. I had been supporting most of my weight on one arm, but now I allowed her to gently urge me to let her take more of my weight. Finally, I let her fully support my upper body and wrapped my arms about her waist and shoulder and curled up around her.

I knew that I should not be acting like a child in need of comfort, that I should get up and put a more proper distance between us. But Seven's emotions were surrounding me like a warm blanket, an almost palatable caress of concern for me that left me unwilling to do anything but trust in her strength and care.

Once I relaxed into her embrace she continued, "Frequently a reoccurring element in the dreams will indicate what the problem is. Without knowledge of your latest dream I cannot correlate your previous dream and this one to determine if there are any such elements.

I considered her words thoughtfully. I believed I knew the reason behind my dreams but I also knew I could be wrong. From our previous discussions I knew that Seven had seen her share of terrible things in her life as a Borg drone, but I also knew that she, like the rest of the Voyager crew, was relatively innocent when it came to evil acts like those done by Lord Durass. They were not used to an evil that thrived by causing as much pain to others as possible.

"It is bad enough that such things are in my memory, Seven, without me inflicting them upon you," I said with quiet intensity, looking up into her eyes.

Seven returned my gaze steadily and replied simply, "Let me assist you. Please."

I weighted the determination in her gaze with my desire to protect her from the grim realities of my childhood. In the end though what started me talking was the realization that I would be just as determined to help if our roles were reversed, and by my own beliefs I could not deny her the right to do so.

In a general manner as possible I told her what had taken place on the day my ownership had passed into Lord Durass's hands.

When I fell silent at the end I had difficulty discerning Seven's emotions over the turmoil of my own. Anger, sorrow, and protectiveness were some of the emotions I could sense and as a result it did not really surprise me when she tightened her arms around me and held me even closer to her for a few moments.

"I have told no other so much about that day." I admitted while burying my face into her shoulder feeling very exposed and vulnerable. I felt a ghosting of pressure over my head and was confused until by it until I realized she must have just brushed her lips over my hair.

"I believe the common element to these 'nightmares' you are experiencing is the being unable to protect yourself; in the first because you were drugged, in the second because Lord Durass physically overpowered you." Seven's voice came from above me where I rested against her chest after a long moment of silence between us.

"I thought it was because I was afraid," I blurted out, turning my head so I could glance up at her, and was caught by the gentle compassion in her blue eyes.

"Fear is a usual response to situations where one is threatened, I believe you have cause and effect reversed," Seven answered in a matter of fact tone.

I was surprised by the way she delivered her opinion but found myself turning it over in my mind and examining it closely, and then accepting it in short order. Usually I was reticent to accept another's opinions over my own without through consideration, but something about the way she had presented it made it easier for me to accept.

I wondered why this would be and came to the realization that she had managed to engage my brain and not my ego. Granted I did better than the average person in keeping my ego in check, being mindful of my obligation to be humble, but I was as prone to that vice as any other. At least, I thought to myself, I was not as bad as some of the other knights who seemed to think that being a Paladin meant that their opinions were always the correct ones.

As soon as I had finished the one thought, I realized with surprise that much of the anxiety I had been feeling was gone. Wondering why, I realized that Seven had responded very like Father Tormlin used to when we talked. Matter of fact, calm, accepting, very unlike what I had grown accustomed to from many of my fellow Paladins, who thought that any fear or doubt in the face of evil was a grievous failure in one's duty to Torm.

When had I forgotten Father Tormlin's teachings? When had I forgotten that he taught me that evil was very adept at evoking fear and terror. That courage was not fearing them, but opposing them even though one feared them. When had I started thinking that a true Paladin was somehow not only immune to fear caused by magical means, but also fear caused my mundane means?

Seven had been silent while I was thinking, now I looked up into her grey-blue eyes and took heart at the calm acceptance I saw there. I closed my eyes for a few moments absorbing the myriad sensations of her holding me. The feel of her strongly muscled thighs under my back, her arms around me holding me against her, the softness of her breasts as my head rested against her chest.

Other sensations such as the coldness of the hard metal floor underneath us intruded and I opened my eyes. Seven was looking at me curiously, the metal arch the implant above her eye raised slightly. Reluctantly I pulled away from her and sat up.

"This cannot be comfortable for you, let us move to the couch." I stood and held out my hand to assist her.

Seven tilted her head and regarded me steadily for a few moments before taking my hand and allowing me to help her off the floor.

I knew she was wondering if I planned to continue the discussion or whether this marked the end of it. It did not; I just needed some emotional distance before continuing. I was afraid that if I tried to tell her what I now knew I needed to while being held by her that I would find it too difficult to maintain what was left of my emotional control.

Seven sat down on the couch and I followed sitting close to her. Extending my hand, I waited until she gripped it with hers before continuing.

"After they had taken my arms and armor away they described what they planned for me. I gather my history was known to them for each was especially explicit in describing how they planned to rape me. Then they urged me to flee and escape my fate and left me alone in the woods. They did not assure me that the children would not be harmed and I knew that they must be following them and would take them again if I did so, or that they would follow me and retake me after I had broken my vow." I paused lost in thought until an increase in pressure brought my attention back to where Seven's hand held mine.

Taking comfort in her support I continued. "They left me there for at least four hours as the shadows lengthened from early afternoon to almost evening." I stopped talking as I remembered the abject fear of those hours, how much I had wished for something, anything to intervene. "I almost ran…" I finally admitted my act of cowardice. "I almost forsook my vows as both a Priestess and Paladin to protect the innocent no matter what the cost, to save myself from what I knew would happen when they came back."

I could not raise my eyes to Seven's to see what her reaction was and my emotions were in such a turmoil that I could not tell what she was feeling.

"But you did not leave," Seven stated quietly.

"No, I could not, it was as if I was rooted to the spot no matter how much my fears made me want to flee. As much as I wished to escape my fate, I also knew that I could not live with myself if those children were harmed." I replied and slowly looked up to meet Seven's gaze. I had feared condemnation, there was none present there.

"In the end I stayed because the thought of what was to come distressed me less than the thought of betraying all that I thought I was, all that I had fought to become since Lord Durass. After I accepted that I was not going to flee I resolved to defy and anger them in the hope that they would become clumsy and kill me before they meant to." I paused and gave Seven what I suspected was a mirthless grin. "I though I had accomplished that right before you came, they had planned on keeping me alive for at least three more days, but I suspect I would have died later that day from my injuries had you not saved me."

Seven raised her eyebrow at my words and I thought she looked distressed. I forced the twisted smile from my face and hastened to reassure her "I am pleased that I did not succeed in that goal."

"As am I," Seven replied still looking at me uncertainly and then dropping her eyes to our joined hands which rested upon my knee.

Tilting my head to the side I considered her, I was calm enough now to distinguish her emotions from my own, and I was distinctly feeling the uncertainty her expression had betrayed.

"What is causing you distress?" I asked, concerned.

Seven looked from where she had been staring at our joined hands to my face at my words. Her eyes sought mine, and I though she seemed to be searching them for something, but I did not know what.

Finally she said, "I was not uncomfortable on the floor holding you. I believe you became uncomfortable and sought out a reason to move."

I opened my mouth to defend myself and then realized I could not in all good conscious do so, she was after all, correct.

Instead I closed my mouth, dropped my gaze to the floor, and thought for a few moments. When I had ordered my thoughts I began hesitantly, "I have survived everything by fighting, by never giving into any weakness, never allowing them to have anything of myself." I frowned distressed by a sudden realization, "I believe I may have done you a disservice Seven by asking to court you. I did not anticipate that it would be so difficult for me to let you into my life as I should."

I lifted my eyes back to hers, anguished, "I will understand if you no longer are interested in my attentions, as perhaps I am too… damaged by my past."

"You no longer wish to court me?" Seven asked quietly and I could feel her disappointment.

I violently shook my head denying her statement, "I still wish to Milady Seven. I… you deserve someone more whole than I."

Seven raised a brow and regarded me steadily, "Many would say that the fact I was Borg means that I am not able to form close emotional ties with anyone."

I felt a quick flush of irritation that anyone would say that about her then I realized what she was telling me. I flushed in embarrassment. "I am being foolish" I stated.

Seven's lips twitched in response.

"One too many blows to the head perhaps," I offered up for her amusement.

"Indeed? You should allow the Doctor to examine you perhaps something can be done about your condition." Seven stated evenly without any obvious expression.

I knew she was joking even without the confirmation of my empathy, "Indeed, he is highly skilled; perhaps he can do something about misguided hardheadedness," I said smiling at her.

"Perhaps," Seven smirked in reply. Then she grew serious, "Captain Janeway suggested I be patient when I first became part of this collective and was having difficulties. I believe that would apply to this situation as well."

"Your counsel then is that I be patient with myself?" I said somewhat bemusedly as I remembered it was usually I that counseled others to be patient with themselves when they were recovering from abuses such as I had suffered.

"Yes," Seven replied watching me intently.

"I beg your pardon, Seven. It is only that I myself have counseled others when they were freed from evil masters to be patient with themselves. Perhaps I should have listened to myself," I admitted. Then in a rush I added, "I am pleased that you still wish me to court you."

Seven smiled in her restrained way then looked serious, "I am still uncertain as to whether I can respond to you in the manner you desire." She stopped talking and looked thoughtful, "I do however, now know that I am comfortable with being physically close to you and with you touching me."

"Seven?" I asked confused, "Have I ever made you uncomfortable when I touched you? If so I do sincerely apologize."

Seven's eyes widened, and the emotions I could pick up from her indicated that she was surprised. "No I have never been uncomfortable when you touched me, not even the first day when you touched my optical implant," Seven said as she reached up and touched the arch of metal above her eye.

I relaxed, relieved, I had frequently reached out and touched Seven during the week I had been aboard Voyager and never saw any indication that she found this distressing in any way. So her words had come as a surprise to me, though granted her holding me as she had done tonight was an entirely different level of physical closeness than our previous interactions.

Suddenly I realized how exhausted I still felt, the memories and their attendant emotions had drained away much of the benefit I had gained from the night, and I realized that I was hungry as well.

I felt Seven releasing my hand and rising and opened my eyes in surprise only to see her walk over to the replicator and order two nutritional supplements.

"Consume this, then you need to sleep again, you have not yet slept your required eight hours." Seven ordered me when she returned with them, a no nonsense expression on her face.

"Yes, Seven," I acquiesced meekly, feeling more like one of the children suddenly than a fellow adult. Yet, I appreciated the fact that she was trying to take care of me, and that this was the only way she was familiar with expressing the maternal side of herself. Though I did wonder just how she had known that I needed to eat and sleep more. Considering the question, and what I knew of how Seven, I decided on the simplest possibility, she had simply noted it was past the time I usually at breakfast, therefore I needed to eat.

As I consumed the drink she had given me, finding that it was actually rather pleasant tasting, if perhaps a bit on the malty side. While I was consuming it, Seven worked at the console. From her actions it was clear that she was transferring some work to data pads and I wondered why.

I watched her curiously when she got up and then with wide eyed uncertainty when she sat down on the bed and arranged the pillow in her lap and laid the pads within easy reach. Earlier when I had been so distressed over the nightmares I had not thought about anything but how being close to her was comforting. Now, though, I was worried I might find resting my head upon her lap to be more than just comforting. I had opened my mouth to begin dissuading her from her obvious course of action when she spoke.

"The only time your sleep was undisturbed Arana was when you were holding my hand. You require several more hours of sleep in order to function properly. This is the easiest method of doing so while allowing me to continue working." Seven's presented her argument in a logical manner, yet I could sense a yearning underneath the words.

I snapped my mouth shut and silently berated myself for being ten times a fool; it wasn't as if we hadn't earlier discussed the fact that she needed me to allow her to help me. I would just have to deal with any feelings that might arise from being that close to her.

I nodded silently laid down as she directed, finding it odd that she indicated I should lie such that my back was toward her until she placed her exoskeleton covered hand against my chest and silently waited. A sweet sharp pain pierced my heart at her gesture, causing my eyes to prick with tears and conclusively swallowed as I held her hand in both of mine.

I tried to breath through the sensation, let it flow and then ebb away. But snippets of memories kept arising, of Alessea admitting that she had sought me out because it was her duty to Sune to heal beautiful things that were damaged, of Seven calmly telling me that she did not see me as something that needed repairing. The pity or disgust that I was used to receiving when people found out I had been a body slave, the anger and protectiveness with which Seven had responded upon learning about it. The compassion with which she reacted to my admittance of fear while waiting for the Lovitarian priests to return to begin my tortures instead of the condemnation I had feared.

These images chased after one another in my mind building upon instead of reducing the strangely blended emotions of pain, love, hope and anguish I was feeling.

"Arana?" the worried questioning tone of Seven's voice brought me back to the world from where I had gone to realize that tears were streaming down my face.

"Seven," I replied hoarsely over the lump in my throat. Turning to my back I looked up into her concerned blue eyes. Finally I gave into my need, "Hold me, please."

Seven nodded wordlessly and I felt her thighs flex under my back and her arms enfold me as she lifted me up and repositioned my body so that she could hold me. Turning into the comfort she offered and hiding my face from those too probing eyes I buried my face into her chest and wrapped my arms around her tightly.

Pride, which I had been holding onto as armor to shield the wounds my soul had suffered crumbled and I was left feeling exposed. All the feelings of doubt about my worth as a person that I hid behind the self assured persona of Champion Arana surfaced as pride gave way before Seven's acceptance and compassion.

I shut out the sounds of my own pain as I cried and focused only on letting it go, and the solid warmth of the woman who held me. Finally I stopped crying after what seemed like a long time but pragmatism informed me was probably only ten minutes or so. Loosening my tight hold of Seven, I shifted away from her so I no longer had my face hidden against her, thought my eyes were still closed.

Seven shifted slightly then there was a gentle touch against my face and I realized she was wiping the remaining tears away. Impulsively I turned my head and kissed the metal webbing on its palm.

"Why did you cry?" Seven asked and I could hear the bewilderment in her tone.

"Because you care about me, not Arana the Champion of Torm, or Arana the Priestess of Illmater, and you don't care that I was once Arana a body slave to Lord Durass." I answered somewhat flatly with emotional exhaustion.

"And this caused you to cry?" Seven sounded troubled.

"I do not believe that anyone since Father Tormlin has cared for me in that way, it… disarmed me." I fell silent for a few moments trying to figure out how to explain what had caused my tears. "Sometimes I hide behind the Champion, sometimes I hide so well I forget how much people's reactions to my past hurts me."

I opened my eyes and stared into the blue ones above me. Raising my hand I stroked the side of her face, "With you I don't feel the need to pretend that I am always strong, always above being hurt. I guess it threw into sharp relief how much my life has lacked someone who felt that way about me. All the walls I had built to deny those pains came down and it overwhelmed me. I am sorry I distressed you."

"No," Seven answered with fierce intensity upon hearing my explanation. "Do not be sorry, I am..." Seven stopped and a puzzled frustrated look passed over her face. After a few moments of what appeared to be struggle, she continued, "I am not familiar with all the emotions I am experiencing now, but I do not want you to be sorry that you cried because I care about you."

Seven's emotions were a jumble and I couldn't make sense of them either, or perhaps it was because my sense of her emotions was blending in with my own, I couldn't tell which. "I'll try not to," I reassured her. Then as I could not breathe through my nose, "I need to get up and use the bathing facilities."

When I returned once again able to breathe normally, Seven was seated as she first had been upon the bed. I smiled at her gratefully and lay down, resting my head in her lap and waited for her to offer her hand. When she rested it upon my shoulder instead I was confused until I thought that perhaps she thought it would upset me again.

"Please," I asked, holding open my hand over my heart.

It was a moment before she grasped my hand and I could rest hers against my chest, cuddling it against me with both of mine.

"Most people do not want me to touch them with that hand, yet you are not bothered by my touching you with it. Why?" Seven asked.

I glanced down at the metal webbed hand I held against my chest, "When I was hanging from the posts, I saw you use this hand to free me before I passed out. When I got up from the biobed you used this hand to keep the blanket from sliding off me and exposing me." I pulled her hand upward and kissed it several times before resting it against my chest again. "This hand ended my torture and protected what was left of my dignity."

Seven said nothing else though I could sense her thinking about my words. Finally exhaustion claimed me and I slept.


	12. Chapter 12

**Arana's Tale - Chapter 12**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 01/16/06

Summary: Seven is confused by her emotions, finds an unusual place when she regenerates. Arana and Seven discuss their feelings.

* * *

Seven nodded an absent acknowledgement to Ensign Harper as she passed the woman on the way to Cargo Bay 2. She just had enough time to regenerate before she needed to join Arana and the children in the Mess Hall for dinner, and her mind was still trying to process the events of the past several hours.

She entered the Cargo Bay, and glanced about, verifying that she was alone before relaxing the tight control she had been keeping, on the confusing mixture of emotions she was experiencing. She had attempted to analyze them, while Arana slept, but had quickly realized, when the half elven woman became agitated in her sleep that she could not while so physically close due to Arana's empathy.

Now with a greater distance between them, Seven hoped that Arana would remain unaware her emotional turmoil. She had felt anger before. But the anger she had experienced previously, such as her anger when the images brought up by the Doctor's regression therapy caused her to believe that the trader Kovin had taken some of her nanoprobes, or more recently her anger at Icheb's parents for using him as a weapon against the Borg, now seemed simplistic, when compared to the confusing mixture of emotions she was currently feeling.

Images of a helpless Arana as a child with Lord Druss, and more recently with the Lovitarians, made her feel physically nauseous, and violently angry. The pain filled sounds Arana had made when she last cried, stirred the same overwhelming sense of protective gentleness now as it had then. She could still hear Arana's voice telling her why she did not mind Seven's Borg hand touching her, and remembered the sensation of cupping Arana's face, her skin so soft and warm against her exoskeleton.

These memories stimulated yet another set of emotions within Seven: surprise, gratitude, tenderness…longing. Seven found herself wishing that she were still in Arana's quarters watching over the woman as she slept. So many emotions, even some she could not put a name to, and she was suffering from an odd aching feeling in her chest region in addition to them.

Seven had experienced intense emotions before, but never so many at one time, and only once before, when One died, had she experienced physical reactions to them, such as nausea, or the sensation of being flushed, then chilled in rapid succession. Seven knew now that she had been experiencing grief at that time, but why she was experiencing such feelings and sensations now she did not understand.

Attempting to identify the mixture of emotions swirling about inside her and their causes, she glanced up from the floor just in time to turn and avoid the canister she had almost walked into. Halting in surprise, she realized belatedly that she had been pacing.

For a moment Seven was overcome by a strong desire to change the past, and automatically her cortical node provided information about the various ways to cause a temporal anomaly. Seven dismissed the notion immediately, but she could not dismiss as easily the desire to have prevented Arana from being hurt, or, failing that, to have killed the Lovitarian priests instead of stunning them in retribution for their actions.

Before this week, she had thought that nothing could cause her to react in such a manner. A few months ago, she and Tuvok, had been kidnapped and forced to fight in the Tsunkatse arena. The last fight before her rescue had been what was called a 'Red Match', in which the fighters fought until one of them was killed.

Seven had come very close to killing the Hirogen male who had trained her in the Tsunkatse fighting style, as he had been her opponent for the Red Match. Fortunately, just as she was about to kill the Hirogen, Voyager had rescued her and Tuvok. Afterward she had thought that she had lost some of her hard won humanity during that time until Tuvok had assured her that the guilt and shame she was feeling over the necessary actions she had taken during their captivity proved that she had not lost anything.

Yet, here she was, wanting exactly the opposite, and she could not find it in herself to regret that desire. A memory of Arana telling her about her past came to Seven's mind. It had been one of the many conversations they had while Icheb and the children were regenerating. Arana had been trying to explain to Seven why she thought anger was capable of motivating one to do great good and great evil, and therefore one of the most dangerous emotions to for a person to lose control over.

Arana had spoken of the time she spent recovering from her treatment by Lord Druss at the Illmater hospice. "I dreamed of the revenge I would take upon men who had used me, of the pain I would return to them. One night I had a dream where I tortured one of them, and afterwards I looked into a mirror at my bloodied hands and into my own eyes and realized with horror that I had become as evil as they. I awoke screaming and trembling. I stared at my hands expecting them to be blood covered and began weeping when I saw they were not. That was my turning point, the start of my healing, when I recognized that my hatred and anger was hurting me, threatening to make me into one of them."

Seven knew that the emotions she was experiencing, and her desire to kill those who had hurt Arana, to make them suffer for their actions, were too uncomfortably like what Arana had described to her that day. Seven trusted Arana's judgment that this type of anger was damaging, but she did not know how one stopped feeling it.

She would prefer to discuss the matter with Arana, but Seven strongly suspected that if Arana realized she was feeling such intense negative emotions because of what she had shared with her, the half-elven woman would blame herself, and likely not tell her about such memories again, no matter how much they were disturbing her.

"Unacceptable," Seven stated aloud, startling herself with the vocalization of her thoughts. That was an outcome that Seven did not desire, she wanted the opportunity to assist Arana again, therefore she could not ask her about how to stop experiencing this type of anger.

Considering her remaining choices, Seven decided that only two other people aboard Voyager were suitable for such a discussion, Captain Janeway and Commander Tuvok. She had considered, but quickly dismissed, Commander Chakotay. For all of his publicly displayed spirituality, she did not recall him ever questioning his actions or motivations, even if later events proved him wrong. After further contemplating her two choices, Seven decided to discuss the matter with both. Each would likely give her different, but valid, approaches to the problem.

The sound of the door opening caught Seven's attention and she glanced over toward them in time to see Lt. Torres enter a PADD in hand and a slight frown upon her face.

A look of surprise crossed the woman's face and former drone guessed that she had not expected Seven to be here.

"Well, Lady Seven," Lt. Torres drawled as she shifted directions and headed toward Seven. "So," she continued in a suggestive tone when she halted almost precisely two meters in front of Seven, "What did you and Arana do today all alone together in her room?"

Before Seven realized fully what she was doing she found herself standing almost nose to nose with the half-Klingon, her desire to protect Arana overcoming her usual detached response to the Chief Engineer's needling.

"Lt. Torres, I understand that you and Lt. Paris feel you are justified in spreading gossip about me after my study of your relationship. Champion Arana, however, has done nothing to either of you to deserve such treatment. If you feel the need to 'get back at' me, find a subject to gossip about that does not involve her." Seven spat out in a coldly angry tone, then stepped back and eyed the other woman as if she were a piece of refuse someone had placed in her path.

If she had not been so furious, Seven would have found the engineers reaction to be extremely amusing. Lt. Torres had taken a half step backward as Seven had advanced upon her, and now regarded her jaw agape and silent, apparently completely stunned by Seven's reaction. Belatedly, reviewing her intense response to the engineers comment, Seven realized that the engineer had not expected such a reaction and that she had most likely just severely erred by reacting so strongly and uncharacteristically.

Lt. Torres had communicated with Seven in an angry sarcastic manner from their earliest of their interactions. After three years it had become more of a habit than anything else. Lt. Torres was angry and sarcastic, and Seven was cool and indifferent or pretended to not understand what was said to her. Now though, Seven had just stepped outside of their habitual interaction, and the Lieutenant would doubtless be more curious about what had occurred between Seven and Arana than she had before.

Seven, upset with herself for her uncontrolled behavior, whirled about and in a few strides reached her alcove and, unable to resist, gave the still gaping Lt. Torres one final angry look before beginning the regenerative cycle. She expected to sink into unconsciousness. Instead she found herself in the middle of a forest.

Looking about her Seven was struck by the fact that her surroundings were familiar to her, but she could not remember ever being in such a place before.

* * *

Seven had contacted me a few hours ago and asked me to watch the children. While she was regenerating she had gone to a place called Unimatrix Zero, only certain drones, those with a particular recessive mutation, were able to go there while regenerating. Apparently she had been one of them, and now her friends from that place had contacted her and asked for Voyagers help in escaping the notice of the Borg Queen. Currently, the Captain and Seven, with the assistance of Tuvok utilizing a Vulcan method called the bridging of the minds, were visiting Unimatrix Zero trying to find out what assistance Voyager could offer.

"Why can't we go to the cargo bay and regenerate?" a petulant, Metozi looked up at me.

The child knew that the Captain, Seven, and Tuvok were utilizing it at the moment, but that did not stop her from complaining. I noted the crossed arms and resentful stare, I was sympathetic to her frustration with the disruption of her nightly routine, but not as understanding of the attitude she was displaying at the moment. I considered what to say to get my point across to the child so that she would listen, instead of shutting me out, because I was not telling her what she wanted to hear.

"What are some of the activities you like doing most Metozi?" I asked her.

Metozi frowned at me in confusion, but answered me, albeit in a sullen tone, "Playing kadis-kot with Naomi, my ant colony and studying entomology."

I nodded thoughtfully, then tilted my head to the side and stared off into space for a few moments. I waited a few more moments to make sure I had the girl's complete attention then in an absent tone commented, "I imagine you would have never learned of your interest in insects, or kadis-kot, if you had remained in the Collective."

All of the Borg children eyed me, as if wondering why I had suddenly lost my wits.

"Such things would be considered irrelevant," Icheb confirmed and the other children nodded.

"A benefit of individuality then, though you are required to do certain things, you also have the freedom to choose others." I looked down at Metozi who was eyeing me suspiciously. She was certainly intelligent enough to scent a trap when it was being laid, but I just returned her look blandly.

I backtracked, sensing that I would meet with resistance if I continued with this line of reasoning. "I wonder if Seven ever played kadis-kot in Unimatrix Zero during the time she was in her maturation tank." I commented, combining the hurried briefing Seven had given me when she had asked me to look after the children, and the things she had told me of her time in the Collective.

I got wide eyed looks from all of them as they contemplated the possibility I had raised.

By this time we had arrived at the Science Lab and Icheb and the children went to their respective stations and starting working on their projects. Though, from the occasional absent stare, and intense reflective mood present, I gathered they were still thinking over my words. No further comments on the subject were made by any of them, but neither were there any more protests about the disruption to their schedule.

Two hours later when Seven entered the room we all looked up from our respective studies and eyed her with keen interest, curious to find out what had occurred.

"Milady, how did your mission go?" I asked, while noting the controlled manner she was holding her self, not only physically, but mentally as well.

Seven looked indecisive for a moment, then spoke, "The Queen has discovered the interlink frequency of Unimatrix Zero. I have come to take you to begin your regeneration cycles, then I must assist Lt. Torres and the Doctor with discovering a way to protect the drones there."

As we walked toward Cargo Bay 2, Icheb asked, "The entire time you were in your maturation tank you were in Unimatrix Zero?"

Seven glanced sharply at the young man for a second, then the look softened and she sighed almost inaudibly and looked away. "There were young children present in Unimatrix Zero from their maturation tanks, I presume I did the same while in mine."

I could tell that this subject had her feeling unsettled, and guessed that she wished it had not been brought up. I castigated myself for not anticipating this reaction, but could not regret that the subject had been broached. There was a part of her past where she had been able to laugh and play and grow into an adult, if it was at all possible she deserved to regain those memories.

"Did you play Kadis-Kot?" Metozi asked Seven with a sideways glance at me.

Seven raised a metallic brow at the question, "I do not know Metozi, I cannot remember any of my time in Unimatrix Zero." Seven's eyes shifted toward mine, following Metozi's gaze, and I gave her a guilty smile in return.

We had reached the Cargo Bay by now and Seven watched as the children stepped into the alcoves there and began their regeneration cycles.

Before she even turned an inquisitive eye on me I began speaking, "I wanted Metozi to consider how this event impacted others, and not only how it was inconveniencing her. As she cares for you, I brought up what you might gain from becoming aware of Unimatrix Zero. I am sorry that my actions caused you discomfort, especially after the great kindness you showed me last night."

I had thanked Seven when I awoke feeling rested for the first time in several days. Words had been inadequate, but I had tried to tell her how much I appreciated the support, comfort and clear-headed assessment of my nightmares. She had been pleased, and I had to stop myself from babbling out more thanks like a dim-witted fool.

"What do you believe I will gain by remembering my time in Unimatrix Zero." Seven asked, interrupting my reminiscing.

I thought a moment before answering, "I do not remember playing games as a child, I remember assisting my mother with her tasks. It took me along time to understand how to simply enjoy myself, to be able to be still and enjoy beauty without feeling that I should be doing something more productive. It set me apart from my fellows because I could not understand why they did some of the things they did. I had to force myself to learn how to play, to be still and just enjoy the beauty of a sunset or sunrise."

I could see the surprise in Seven's eyes as she looked at me as I continued "I believe this is a difficulty you share, yet there is a strong possibility that you did play with other children, enjoy the beauty of the forest, and grow into an adult. If you can regain any of those memories… then yes, I believe you will gain something from them."

Seven stared into my eyes intently for a few moments, and I could feel her weighing my words. "I do not know if I can regain those memories, but I will attempt to do so if possible." Her mood shifted from introspection to concern and she continued, "I should assist Lt. Torres and the Doctor tonight, if you have difficulty sleeping contact me."

I hastened to reassure her, "I am certain the worst of my troubles are past thanks to your help last night. I am certain I will sleep tonight without being troubled by old memories. And if I am I will remember how you comforted me and draw strength from that and I will be fine."

Seven looked torn and I could clearly sense her conflicted emotions, "Duty calls you Milady Seven, may Torm bless your efforts. I will see you tomorrow?" I asked consciously using the less formal Federation term instead of the more formal Faerun 'on the morrow'.

Seven smiled at this, aware that I had been trying to speak more like the other crewmembers. "I will attempt to meet you for breakfast." Seven gave me a long look then turned abruptly and headed for the doors. Before they opened and she exited she paused and I sensed a spiking of the uneasiness I had sensed earlier from her.

Seven turned back toward me, "Lt. Torres questioned me about my presence in your room. She will not discover anything if she seeks to find out what I researched, I encrypted all records of my search parameters and results, informed Commander Tuvok of my actions and provided him with the encryption codes I utilized."

I was at a loss for a moment as to what she was saying, but then realized she was telling me she had taken care to hide from everyone that she had been reading about dreams, specifically nightmares, and probably about how being raped affected someone and how it related to nightmares. I had almost forgotten Captain Janeway assuring me that my medical file had been locked, and I didn't have to worry about anyone knowing I had been sexually assaulted unless I shared the information with them.

It was odd in a way, in Faerun it would have been assumed that I had been raped; I would not have had to reveal anything. It was an obvious tactic used to humiliate and demoralize, and the Lovitarians were not the only ones to utilize it for those purposes. Here though no one knew but me, Seven, Captain Janeway, the Doctor, Commander Chakotay and Commander Tuvok.

There I would have already had counseling by fellow knights and priests who had been through the same experience themselves. Here the Captain had referred to it when she told me my records had been locked and told that if I needed to discuss it her door was always open to me, but I knew that she felt out of her depth with dealing with the subject. Only Seven of those who knew had approached me directly about the subject. And her objective acceptance of it was similar to the treatment I would have received in the Order, and was part of what made me feel comfortable with discussing it with her.

I was getting the impression that here being raped was unusual and some type of stigma was associated with being the victim of it, otherwise why was everyone making such an effort to hide the fact I had been raped as part of the Lovitarian's efforts to break me. That surprised me; somehow I expected that such advanced people would view violence, no matter what its form, and being the victim of it differently. Instead, it seemed to make them shy away from the entire subject, as if ignoring it would make it go away.

Not that I had ever expected to have to deal with the consequences of my decision, as I had fully expected to die, but the current situation made survival more problematic for me. In a way I would rather be back in Faerun, there at least I would be getting the type of support I knew I needed. Here… I knew Seven was doing her absolute best for me, but I still felt that the rape was affecting me more than it should, that I should be able to put it in perspective better. It had after all been the result of a noble action, one that both Torm and Ilmater themselves had blessed me for.

"Arana?" Seven's concerned tone broke through my moment of self-introspection.

Focusing on her I realized from the uneasy guilt emanating from her that she had likely taken my silence as condemnation of her actions.

"Pardon, Milady, I was just pondering the differences between how your people and mine view what happened to me. My rape by the Lovitarians." I spoke it bluntly aloud. "There it would not be kept a secret, there would be no need. Everyone would assume that I had been raped, as it is not at all unusual for the Lovitarians to do that to their captives." I paused while she watched silently, "There should be no need for you to carry out these deceptions on my account." I said the last with some heat in my voice.

"You are displeased with my action." Seven stated quietly after a few moments.

"No," I protested the statement, "no Seven, I am in no way displeased with your efforts on my account." I hastened, aghast, to reassure her. "I did not mean you to take my words so."

We looked at each other, she had a slight frown on her face as she regarded me, and was not pleased much with myself either. I pushed myself into motion and strode to her, laying my hands lightly upon her shoulders, and meeting her gaze plainly, I tried to explain. "You are an honest person, but for my sake you have taken actions to hide what should not have to be hidden. Why should you have to conceal the fact that you are helping me?" I asked her earnestly.

Seven's gaze sharpened upon me, "You feel as though I am carrying out some deception?"

I shook my head, "No," I struggled to clarify my thoughts, "as though your people's rules and customs are forcing you to carry one out on my behalf." I heard my own words and I let her go, aghast at my own dishonor, "I am sorry Milady, I should not speak so, I dishonor myself, and my oath to Captain Janeway to abide by the rules and customs of this vessel."

Seven's blue eyes widened in realization, "The rules are there to protect your privacy, they do not prevent you from telling who ever you wish, about what happened to you. They only prevent me, or others who know, from revealing it to anyone else without your permission." She hesitated a moment then looking directly into my eyes asked, "Do you feel as though you are deceiving the crew?"

My thoughts were a jumble, but I responded to her honestly, "Yes," my eyes fell to the deck plating.

"Arana," her voice was gentle and I raised my eyes to hers, "You are free to talk to anyone about what happened to you, I understand that I lack the experience and emotional knowledge to help you with your difficulty as well as others, such as the Captain or Commander Chakotay."

"Untrue, Milady," I protested, upset that she should think so, "You have helped me greatly with the generosity of your spirit, your farseeing and clearly thought out words, and by your willingness to bear me company and to comfort me during my distress. With you, it is as though I were talking to one of my sister priestesses of Ilmater, you have the same wisdom, the same clear seeing and honesty." At the last her eyes fell from mine, as if she thought she were unworthy of being called honest.

I reached out my right hand and cupped her face. Fear, deep sorrow, and rage, her emotions came to me clearly, "Why are you so full of sorrow and anger, Seven?" Her eyes flew up and met mine, surprise clearly written within them. "And what are you so afraid of?" Her eyes flinched away from mine at the question, and it was as if she had shouted her answer to me. I was utterly dismayed, "Seven?" I asked confused, "Milady, what have I done that you would fear me?"

"I am not afraid of you," she immediately answered, Seven eyes searched mine, she sighed and looked resigned, "I am afraid of your reaction."

I waited for her to continue, but she did not, "My reaction to what Seven?" I asked and could not help, but gently caress the side of her face with my hand. "Do you fear I will become angry with you?" I was grasping for reason's now, confused and worried.

"No," her hand covered mine and pressed it against her cheek, her blue eyes meeting mine unhappily, "I fear that you will not continue telling me of the things that hurt you if you…" she trailed off.

"Understood how full of rage and sorrow you felt as a result of hearing them," I finished, understanding suddenly the emotions I had sensed from her.

"I have already decided to discuss the appropriate way to deal with these emotions with Captain Janeway and Commander Tuvok." Seven told me earnestly, "I do not want my anger to damage me in the manner you described, and I do not want you to think that you cannot discuss these things with me."

"Seven," I paused a moment gathering my thoughts, "I shared what I did with you, because I cannot deny you the opportunity to help me. If our situations were reversed, I would desire to help you in any manner possible; I cannot deny you, what I would want." Seven stared at me searchingly and then nodded.

"I am not upset with you for being angry with those who hurt me, and for feeling sorrow for what I lived through as a child. I have felt the same emotions for every child that I have ever freed from similar circumstance as what I suffered." I admitted to her. I glanced aside briefly then back to meet her eyes, "I am myself, holding onto too much anger and grief over what happened to me at the hands of the Lovitarians, I am ill with it, and I need to discern why. I thought I had kept them from poisoning my soul, but now I believe I am suffering from some taint of theirs that I need to find and cleanse from myself."

Seven intertwined her hand with mine and lowered it from her face, but retained possession of it so that our hands remained joined between us. She tilted her head to the side, and examined me closely, her eyes keen upon me as she considered my words. "Perhaps we can assist each other with these unwanted emotions?" she offered.

I smiled, "I believe I would like that, though you should also ask those you mentioned, often in many viewpoints, a fuller understanding of the truth is gathered. I should perhaps, avail myself of Commander Tuvok's understanding as well. Though he seems a very important and busy person, and I have not wanted to interrupt him from his duties with my personal concerns." I admitted.

I had wanted to discuss several things with the Vulcan, but our conversations so far had been limited to the studies of Federation law, and basic starship operations so that I would understand what to do in certain emergencies. During those times we were frequently interrupted by other crewmembers needing his authorization for tasks, or reporting to him of duties completed. It had made me less than comfortable with interrupting what little time he had for his own concerns to bother him with mine.

"It has been my experience that Commander Tuvok…" she hesitated for a moment, "appreciates assisting others with understanding the reasons for their emotions, and bringing those emotions under their conscious control."

I was surprised at the information; it had struck me that he was slightly uncomfortable with the emotionalism of some of his crewmates, but then I did not know him well at all. "I shall be certain to avail myself of his wisdom then at the next opportunity," I assured her.

We stared at one another for a moment, "I must join Lt. Torres and the Doctor," Seven said reluctantly.

"Of course," I replied embarrassed, "I should not have detained you from your duties." I tried to release her hand but she would not let go.

"Incorrect," she responded, "we have resolved two important issues that might have impacted upon our," she paused, "courtship. My research into interpersonal relationships indicated that it was important for both parties to be honest with one another. My personal observation has been that such honesty is infrequently practiced, often to the detriment of both parties."

I remained quiet sensing that she had more to say, "I did not understand why being honest with someone you claimed to have strong emotions for was so difficult. Yet, I was afraid of what I believed was your probable reaction, and attempted to hide my concern from you." Seven admitted solemnly. Instantly I felt uncomfortable, I had my own fear that I was hiding from her that remained unadmitted.

Seven continued, "Your insistence that I be honest in admitting what was troubling me has resulted in the resolution of those concerns. I will attempt to not let my fears prevent me from sharing my concerns with you in the future." she assured me in a soft tone.

Her truthfulness compelled me to speak, "Your honesty shames me, Milady. I must confess something to you, which I did not admit to earlier." I glanced away for a moment then met the blue of her eyes once again, "I fear admitting to my rape with others, this secrecy causes me to feel that perhaps it will be seen that I am somehow to blame for what happened. After all I did agree to the exchange, I understood before that agreement what was likely to happen to me." I said troubled.

Seven inhaled sharply and I could see the strong disagreement in her eyes.

"Lt. Torres to Seven," her communications badge interrupted.

Seven tapped it irritatedly, "Seven here."

"Seven we could use your Borg knowledge in Sickbay," Torres replied, obviously annoyed.

"I will be there shortly," Seven replied, and tapped the badge closing the channel. "You would not be blamed by the crew for your rape." she immediately began speaking to me. "The safeguards are there only to protect your privacy, so that what happened to you is not the subject of the crews gossip and speculation, which they are overly inclined to indulge in." she finished disapprovingly.

I considered her words; I had already noticed the amount of gossiping that occurred aboard the ship. It was a small enclosed world, anything new, anything interesting, was intensely speculated upon. I was already the subject of a fair share of the current gossip, my looks, my race, how I came to be aboard, even my relationship with Seven and the children.

"You are saying that my rape is treated this way so that I do not hear people discussing it where ever I go." I sought to clarify her statement, as well as consider how I would react to such a thing.

"That it is a matter of public knowledge at all," Seven stated. "Whether discussed within your hearing or not."

Thinking of what I knew of the crew I spoke my thoughts aloud, "Some would pity me, others would think my actions heroic, and there would be those that would consider me to be a fool for not tricking them, for not escaping as soon as I had the opportunity." I stated already knowing the answer. I would intensely dislike all three reactions, I did not want people to pity me for being raped, and I did not want adulation for it either, nor did I want to defend my beliefs and why I was forbidden to practice such deceptions.

Seven reluctantly nodded her agreement, "Those that thought that, would not understand your obedience to your oath to Torm and to Ilmater. That you cannot attempt to knowingly deceive another without breaking those oaths and your vows."

"Do you?" I asked her, hoping that she at least understood from our discussions of Faerun why I could not have done anything else but stay.

"Yes," Seven answered after a pause, "I understand that paladins are exceptionally trusted in Faerun, because they do not lie or break their vows, even when placed into such situations as you were. That trust would not be possible if you or other paladins practiced deceptions."

I let out a breath of relief at her words. Mindful of her obligations, even though I did not wish for her to go, I forced myself to say, "You must go, Milady, I should not be the cause of any more delay in the carrying out of your duties."

"The Captain did not order me to assist them; I only knew that my assistance would be required." Seven smirked. "The delay forced Lt. Torres to ask for my presence, so she cannot accuse me of 'poking my Borg nose into everything' tonight."

I stared at her in surprise for a moment then began chuckling in mirth. "I am pleased to have been of such assistance to you then, Milady."

Seven stared at me intently for a moment then to my complete surprise stepped forward and pressed her lips against mine. Reflexively my hands gripped her waist lightly, as she moved her lips against mine and I tentatively responded. Her lips were so soft and warm against mine that I felt slightly dizzy at the feel of them. She pulled back enough to look into my eyes for a moment, I was ready to release her if she wished, but instead she wrapped her arms around me and pulled us closer together.

"Seven," I breathed her name, wrapping my arms around her in return, feeling my pleasure and hers at the contact between our bodies, the softness of our breasts pressed against the other's, the strength of her thighs against my own.

Our faces inches apart we looked into each others eyes, noticed that our breaths were slightly quicker, felt the rapid beat of the other's heart against our own. As one we moved together and our lips met again, this time the contact was slower, deeper, as we explored the shape and feel of the other's lips with our own.

When we moved apart again I opened my eyes slowly and stared into Seven's blue ones, fascinated with the way they had darkened and were definitely more blue than grey at the moment. Her hand drifted up and stroked the side of my face softly as she stared at me, wonder clear upon her face.

"Seven?" I asked curiously in a low voice.

"Your eyes have more gold in them than before," her eyes drifted down to my lips, "we kissed."

I blushed slightly, "It is a sign of your effect upon me." I was aware than in all propriety I should release my hold upon her, but she was not releasing me, and I did not wish to let her go.

Seven smiled, and I thought for a moment she was about to more bluntly state what had caused my eyes to change color. I blushed more intensely, and after a moment though her smile grew, she did not say anything. She drew in a deep breath and released me, reluctantly I withdrew as well and we stepped apart.

We stared at each other for a moment silently, finally Seven said, "If you should have difficulties with dreams tonight."

"I will contact you, Milady." I finished for her, watching her intently, still feeling my heart beating in my chest from our kiss.

She turned again toward the doors, they opened and she paused for a moment in the center of them. Turning toward me she hesitated for a second and stated, "I was uncertain last night whether or not I could respond to you as you desired. I am no longer uncertain." As I stood stunned, her eyes flickered up and down my body quickly before they met mine once again, and I could not mistake her meaning. She turned and left, the doors closing behind her.

Where her gaze had fell upon me, hot pinpricks of awareness ran up and down my body. I took in a deep breath, calming myself. I was somewhat surprised that unlike with Alessea there had been no unpleasant images that had floated into my mind to disturb me as we touched. Even with what had happened to me so recently, Seven's touch did not remind me of any of those violent, invasive, painful moments. Some of it undoubtedly was that she was female, but I suspected the main reason was my newly sensitive empathic abilities. When we touched I could feel her so clearly now, and what I sensed from her could never remind me of any of them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Arana - Book 1 - Chapter 13**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Warning: Non-descriptive mention of rape.

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 01/17/06

Summary: Arana discovers what has caused her dreams and gains a measure of peace with her treatment by the Lovitarians. Seven finds out about the nature of her relationship with Axum. Arana receives a call to battle.

* * *

Eventually I turned away from the doors, walked around the stacks of containers to the alcoves, and gazed for a moment at the children. When I had rode into the Lovitarian camp they had lead the children past me, as we had agreed, so that I could see they were unharmed. Looking upon the peaceful faces of Metozi, Rebi and Azan, I remembered the dirty tear streaked faces of those children. Was I regretting what I had done? That I had stayed there through their taunts, their eager foretelling of what would befall me at their hands. Was I regretting that I had spared those children what had happened to me?

Closing my eyes I kneeled, whispering a prayer to Ilmater. I knew my answer, I could never regret that those children had been spared being raped, being whipped and tortured. No matter what the cost to my own body and spirit. Opening my eyes once again, I looked upon the innocent visages of the sleeping children. Metozi, smart, analytical, I wondered if Seven knew how much the younger girl looked up to her. Rebi and Azan, the twins, so close to one another that they finished each other's thoughts. And finally Icheb, the young man held such promise of character, I would have been delighted if he had shown up at the Order's doors to test for admittance as a squire.

Looking upon them, I was absolutely certain of something else, I would do the same for them, go through the same torture to prevent them from knowing that such evil existed. I never wanted Metozi, Rebi, Azan or Icheb to have that vacant, dull, hopeless expression of someone only existing from torment to torment, their bodies and souls scared by cruel treatment.

Why then was I questioning myself, why was I feeling that somehow I was to blame for what had happened. I had realized when the loathsome messenger found me that they had planned it so that I could not arrange a rescue in time to save the children by force of arms. I was too far away from the Waterdeep temple to do more than send a messenger to them so that they could meet the children and ensure their safety.

No, all of that had raced through my mind then; I had estimated and re-estimated my chances of rescuing the children by any method other than the one they had proposed. Including the possibility of going to the followers of Tyr, Helm or the Lysander the Morninglord, but all of their temples, hostels or outposts were too far away as well. The Lovitarians had chosen their time and place well. Finally I had to stare into the oily, satisfied face of the messenger and agree. He had leered at me, and looked me up and down lustfully, and informed me he would make sure I enjoyed him being between my legs, before he left to return my agreement to the exchange.

It had been all I could do to not find a place to throw up the contents of my stomach when he had disappeared from view. But I had been certain that I was watched, so I put my helm upon my head to hide my face, and began my prayers to Ilmater and Torm as I traveled to the place where the exchange was to take place.

There had begun the true torment, standing waiting, stripped of my armor and arms, the Lovitar priests encouraging me to spare myself and flee. Then when I did not insinuating that I actually wanted what they were going to do to me, that I obviously missed Lord Durass. How they had found out about him I did not know, but they knew, it was unmistakable from the humiliating things they said to me. Their words enraged me, and I had to calm my temper when they claimed that I liked being tied up, beaten, and being forcefully taken.

Caught up in the memories I felt the humiliation, the moment of self doubt, when I actually wondered if they were right. I knew of some women, who had adapted to their abuse in just such a manner. They had been twisted up inside so much that they could only find pleasure in pain. Was I one of those women, had I somehow sought this out?

As a diver surfacing, I shook myself out of the memories and realized what had been poisoning me. I had listened to them, I had for just a moment considered if what they were saying was true, and it was then, not during my torture that the Lovitarian priests had been able to taint me. Not strongly, but just enough that with time and self-doubt it had started to take hold and grow. And there was something else, with that question, with that self-doubt, I had begun to believe that I was to blame for being there, and grow angry at myself, for placing myself in such a situation.

No wonder I had been having dreams with themes of helplessness and fear, I had felt helpless and fearful during those hours. Only I had wrongly blamed myself for it, instead of who was truly responsible. I had not kidnapped those children, I had not conceived of how to entrap a Champion of Torm so they would have no choice but to exchange themselves. I had not been the one to carry out that plan, to torment that person in the most evil way I could conceive. I had not been the one who tied me so I could not defend myself; I had not been the one who decided to rape me, or to nail me to posts and whip me.

Strongly in my memory arose the image of the chapel of the hostel where I had become a Priestess of Ilmater, its plain wooden walls, the carven figure of Ilmater the Painbearer behind the main altar. We had received news one day of a child that had been taken as a sacrifice to Lovitar. We searched for her unceasingly, only to arrive hours too late to save her life, instead we found her torn and bloodied body discarded in the woods for wild beasts to scavenge. We had returned with the body and gave her a decent burial, but there was an air of depression about the hostel for days afterward, as we asked ourselves what we could have done to save her.

Until Father Tormlin had stood behind the altar and forcefully lectured us, his hazel eyes intense with the force of his conviction, "Evil finds never so much a victory as when good blames itself for evils actions, and willingly takes on the burden of fault for failing to prevent those actions. Never hold yourself responsible for evils actions, you did not conceive them, nor carry them out. If there were things you could have done better, then yes, by all means do what is necessary to make sure that never happens again. But never, ever, hold yourself responsible for what evil decided to do in the first place, only for your own particular actions. Otherwise, know that they are rejoicing that you are taking on the responsibility for their decisions and actions, as if you were them."

I had been staring at the floor while these thoughts and memories ran through my head, now I my eyes once again and looked upon the children. I had suffered as a child, and upon being freed from my slavery, I had dedicated my life to making sure that other children did not have to suffer such a fate. My act had saved ten children from the hands of the Lovitarians. That they had planned it to capture me made no difference, if I had refused they would have surely tortured them for their goddess, and then delivered the bodies to the temple so that I would have known their fate.

I was not responsible for their being captured, but as a Paladin of Torm I was sworn to protect the innocent. As a Priestess of Ilmater, I was bound to thwart Lovitar whenever possible, and to shoulder the burden of suffering for others. As both Priestess and Paladin, I could not have responded any way other than how I had, without forsaking my vows to both. There was no burden of guilt or shame for me to bear for my actions.

I bowed my head and closed my eyes in quiet prayer asking for Ilmater and Torm to assist me in removing the taint I had identified from my spirit. I spent moments remembering the faces of the children they had led past me, the dawning hope that they were to be spared, the fear and sorrow for my own fate. The Lovitarians had likely been telling them exactly what their futures held if I were to fail to exchange myself for them, they knew as much as any child was capable, what was about to occur to me.

I knew my vows as a Priestess and as a Paladin by heart, and now I repeated them silently to myself, renewing my dedication to my chosen deities and to my own self. I almost opened my eyes when felt familiar presences close by me; I had certainly felt them before at different times, but never before together as was occurring at this moment. One slightly behind me to on my left and the other to my right, then two hands descended upon my shoulders gripping them lightly but firmly. Many things passed thought my mind at that moment, difficult to remember as soon as they passed, but afterward I felt cleansed, renewed, strengthened, my spirit uplifted by their approval and acceptance.

When I exited the cargo bay a few minutes later, I suspected that my sleep that night would be unbroken, and even if it was not, I would put the memories in their proper perspective. No longer would I blame myself for what happened to me at the hands of the Lovitarian priests.

* * *

Midmorning of the next day Seven entered the science lab while I studying diligently with the children. As soon as she walked in I sensed that she was upset and distressed. Looking up from my studies in concern, I watched quietly as she paused by each of the children, checking on their progress and answering any questions they had.

Finally she came to me and looked down at what I was studying, "You are progressing rapidly," she commented, "Are you having any difficulties understanding these equations?"

"No, Milady," I assured her, paying little attention to what she was indicating, and more to the nervousness she was attempting to hide. "I could use a short rest from my studies, would you do me the honor of accompanying me." I asked her.

Seven met my eyes for a moment, and I could see that she knew that I had sensed her distress. She nodded jerkily, "I would like to discuss my most recent visit to Unimatrix Zero with you."

After reminding the children not to go wandering, we stepped out into the hallway and began slowly walking down it, not heading anywhere in particular.

"The last time I visited Unimatrix Zero I discovered Axum and I were…" she trailed off, looking confused, bewildered.

I reached out and touched her arm, we paused in the hallway and she looked at me, an expression of guilt on her face. "That you were more than just friends," it wasn't hard to guess from her expression, from her confused emotions. 'Well, I had asked her to remember' I thought to myself, I should have considered that one of the other normal activities of growing up was forming relationships with others.

"You do not seem surprised," Seven stated almost accusingly.

I glanced at her surprised by the tone then realized that she had definitely not foreseen this possibility, it had completely blindsided her. "I should have considered it. It is after all part of growing up, at least for most people," I took in a breath, "It seems it was a part of your growing up, to find someone you cared for."

"Except I do not remember those events," Seven replied, irritatedly.

I glanced at her curiously, "Then how did you come to the conclusion that you felt more for Axum than just friendship."

"We were hiding behind a large rock to prevent our discovery by the drones the Borg Queen had sent to Unimatrix Zero. Axum put his arm around my shoulders, the closeness felt familiar to me." she stopped, and again I felt the surge of guilt from her.

"And then?" I asked gently.

She looked away distressed, "I kissed him for one point six seconds. That was when I knew we had been more than friends, it felt familiar."

I was surprised for a moment, and then I remembered other times when Seven had acted impulsively, and I was not as surprised. I could easily see her acting out of curiosity, trying to understand why she was feeling a certain way, and then finding out more than she had ever anticipated. "What do you feel for him?" I asked. I wasn't certain I wanted to know, yet if this man had a prior claim on her affections, I had to know if she wanted to pursue this.

She stared at me frowningly, and I got the impression that she had expected me to react in a different manner, perhaps angrily, possessively. I sorted my thought for a moment before attempting to explain them to her.

"Milady, I have seen many of my fellow knight's react with anger and jealousy at the merest provocation, even before they have married, and there is an oath between them and the woman, to justify such feeling of possession. As you told me what had occurred between you, I discovered that I have a more elven attitude when it comes to such things. We are not bonded mates; I have no right to expect you to cleave to me, to limit your affections in any manner. Elves are not possessive in that manner, and if they become soul-bonded there is no need for such an unseemly emotion." I explained.

"Soul-bonded?" she asked questioningly.

"The other term for it is lifemates, they are able to feel one another's emotions, know when the other is in danger. Such bonds are very seldom broken unless one of the pair dies." I explained.

Seven eyed me curiously, "You did not mention this when you spoke of courting me."

I flushed slightly, ran a nervous hand through my hair, "I find that I am torn between human customs and elven ones in this matter," I admitted somewhat sheepishly, "I was raised as a human, and the Order is primarily human. You are human, and I am partially human, thus when I first spoke with you about my feelings, I thought only of those customs. Yet, in Aglarond I was introduced to more elven customs, observed other half-elves interacting with one another."

I paused for a moment meeting her eyes, "When you mentioned Axum and seemed to expect me to react angrily, I realized that I did not wish to behave in that manner. It always seemed wrong to me, when others reacted in that manner, as if the person they were attracted to had become their possession. You are a person, you do not in any way belong to me, and I never wish to feel that way about you. If we fall in love with one another, and we pledge to be with only the other, then I will be injured if you should break that vow. Until then, you are free to see whomever you wish."

Seven stared at me, a slight frown on her face as she considered my words. "Does this mean you no longer wish to court me?" she asked confused.

I paused looking up the hallway, Seven looked as well, and I knew we could both hear another person walking. We fell silent and began walking again passing the crewmember with courteous nods and then pausing once again when the passageway was clear.

"Perhaps something more like myself, between the human and the elven, I wish to court you, to let you know of my interest, to take things slowly between us and see where these emotions lead. If we find that we can love one another then we should discuss what we wish to happen next. Whether to marry at that point according to human custom, or perhaps if we are exceptionally blessed we may form a soul-bond and choose to become life-bonded in the custom of my elven heritage."

I paused, and then offered the third option, one that was decidedly frowned upon in most Faerun human cultures, but accepted in half-elven and elven ones. "Or if we wish to do neither, we may choose to become lovemates after elven tradition, which from what I can discern is closer to what the people of this plane think of when they think of relationships." I answered her frankly. Ever since the night before, when I had determined what had been poisoning my spirit, it seemed my mind had cleared from the confusion and doubt I had been laboring underneath ever since my arrival here. I finally felt more like my old self, conflicted perhaps, between my human and elven halves, but accepting of both, and confident of my abilities and myself.

Seven looked surprised by my words, but after a moment, during which she stared at me thoughtfully, she nodded her agreement, "Something has changed since I last spoke with you." She questioned.

"Yes, Milady, thanks to you. Our discussions, and your open hearted kindness and compassion allowed me to identify what had been troubling me." I met her eyes gratefully.

Curiosity lit up Seven's eyes, "You were able to identify the source of the…taint that you felt."

"I was," I was about to continue when I heard the sound of conversation coming toward us. I fell silent and Seven glanced up the hallway with a frown, displeased with the interruption.

"There is another laboratory on this deck that is not in use at this time," Seven said as she turned around and looked back at me, obviously waiting for me to follow her.

I nodded and we walked a short way down the corridor into another smaller, but empty laboratory. "Computer seal doors; override level nine," Seven ordered as soon as they closed.

"Doors locked, override level set," the computer replied.

Seven stared at me expectantly, and I pulled my bemused attention away from the doors and back to her. "I told you that the Lovitarians tormented me for hours before they raped me." I began, "One of the things they claimed was that I wanted to be there, that because of my experiences with Lord Durass that I actually wanted to be abused, that I would find it pleasurable to be taken in that manner."

I looked at her, sensing her disbelief, "It is not so unlikely as it sounds, I know of women who have been abused since they were very young that have been trained to find pleasure in such pain. Lord Durass did occasionally attempt to train us in that manner using drugs that would cause us to feel pleasure in any touch. But he lacked patience, and he was not really interested in such things, he much preferred that we fear him and plead for him to not touch us, not for us to find pleasure in what he was doing."

My eyes had dropped to the floor and I had crossed my arms protectively over my chest as I remembered those days. Seven's gentle touch on my wrist drew me back and I dropped my arms and gave her a gentle smile. "While the Lovitarians were taunting me I was afraid, and struggling with my doubts that I would not be able to hold to my vows. It was enough that for a moment I considered those words, and wondered if I was there because some part of me wanted to be. Then when I came here and it was all such a secret, it seemed to me as if there was something shameful about what happened to me, that everyone was making such an effort to hide it."

Seven made as if to protest, "I understand now Milady, once you had explained the reasons to me." I interrupted her reassuringly. "That is why once you left I went over the events with the Lovitarians in my mind and was finally able to identify what was making me ill, why I was having such difficulty moving past that time point. Because it was less the rape and torture that followed, and more the hours they made me wait while they taunted me, that haunted my memory." I stopped and took in a deep breath, reminding myself that I was past this; it no longer had the power to torment me unless I let it.

Seven regarded me with concern, and reached up and cupped the side of my face in her hand. I reached up and took it in my own, brought it to my lips and gently kissed the palm. "I believe that I began to blame myself then, during those hours. I grew angry at myself for being in such a situation, that I was holding myself there for them to rape me. You were right when you said that my dreams had a common theme of helplessness. Only I blamed myself for holding to my oath, and not protecting myself against them, came to think that I was the one holding myself helpless for them."

I felt Seven's distress deepen, and I hurried to explain my understanding, "It was then that I remembered an old lecture by Father Tormlin, that evil rejoices when good takes on the blame for it's actions. I realized that I had not set those events in motion, none of them, I did not choose to rape or torture myself, they did. I only acted to save innocent children, and looking upon Metozi, Rebi, Azan and Icheb I knew that I would do so again if they were threatened so."

I could see the start of fear she had at the very idea of them being threatened, and regretted even bringing up the possibility. "Not that they will have to fear such a thing here, they are well protected." I assured her. "I only meant that I needed to remind myself why I was there, and that it was certainly not for the reasons they were trying to claim. I went there because of who and what I am, I am a Priestess of Ilmater, sworn to protect the innocent and take their suffering upon myself, and a Champion of Torm, also sworn to protect the innocent and helpless. I could not have done anything else, but what I did. After I realized that I prayed to Ilmater and Torm, they answered and helped cleanse the taint from me, and then they blessed me." I finished remembering the feeling of strong, supportive hands upon my shoulders.

I already knew she would have difficulty accepting my last statement, so it did not surprise me when she gave me a dubious look but remained silent. "You believe you are over your difficulties then." She stated quietly.

I shook my head, "No, not quite so easily, Milady, but I do not believe they will trouble me to the extent that they have. I just have to remember why I was there, and I have to remember not to take on the burden of their actions, only my own." She nodded looking both pleased and troubled, "I will still need a friend though, to listen to me and remind me of those facts, and to comfort me when I am struggling with my memories."

I squeezed Seven's hand which I was still holding and she looked back at me and smiled. "I will attempt to assist you in whatever way you require." She assured me, and I could tell that I had allayed her doubts.

I nodded, understanding that though she was pleased that I was feeling better, she had been worried that I would no longer need to talk with her or require her presence for comfort. Though she knew I was interested in her romantically, I didn't think she understood what that actually meant, and what level of intimacy it indicated we would have. All she knew was that the level of closeness we had now was more than she had ever experienced, and she did not want that to decrease.

I realized we had gotten sidetracked way afield from our earlier conversation, and there was something I still needed her to answer. "Seven, what do you feel for Axum." I asked her, bringing back up my earlier question.

Her eyes widened, and I could tell that the question had caught her by surprise. She took a moment to consider it before answering, "It felt real there, I remembered feeling close to him." She frowned, "But the longer I am away from Unimatrix Zero the less I remember those feelings, the more I know that none of that was actually real. Axum does not know Seven of Nine, he knows Annika Hansen, and while I am biologically that person, my experiences are not the same." Her eyes met mine and I could see the unhappiness there.

"You feel he is in love with someone who doesn't actually exist." I stated, understanding her meaning.

"He is," Seven answered, "I am not that person, even if I remembered my time in Unimatrix Zero, I would also now remember my time as a drone, and the person he knew in Unimatrix Zero did not."

"He might you know," I offered, "He might fall in love with Seven of Nine." I did not want to say it but I felt I must.

Seven glared at me, "Do you want me to love him?" she asked dropping my hand.

"No," I answered truthfully, taken aback by her anger, "But in one month from now, one year from now, I do not want you to ever wonder whether or not you did love him. I want you to be certain of your choice."

The angry look in her eye faded, "I do not have the type of feelings for him that I do for you. I only know that he feels familiar, and that touching him feels familiar."

I nodded, "I just wanted you to know that if you want to be certain, or if you just want to remember, I will not attempt to make you feel as though you should not. You are not mine, you only belong to you, and I will not take away your freedom to explore this if it is what you wish."

She tilted her head to the side, and stared at me. A long, silent moment passed while she searched my eyes then nodded, accepting my words. I barely had a hint of her intentions before she stepped closer, her arms slid around my waist, and she kissed me. With a small groan at the feel of her pressed against me, I wrapped my arms around her and returned it. Our lips moved softly against one another's, a silent statement of intention.

Seven ended the kiss and I loosened my arms immediately, though she did not release me, "And if I do not wish to explore what was between Axum and I." she challenged me, her blue eyes focused on mine.

"That is also up to you, I did not mean to imply that you had to, Seven. I just wanted you to know that you could, if you desired to." I assured her gently.

The door chirped, someone had tried to walk in.

Seven ignored it, "I do not wish to, I do not know Axum, he does not know who I am. I wish to explore our feelings."

"Lt. Torres to Seven of Nine," Seven's com badge demanded her attention. She did not respond, only staring at me awaiting an answer.

"Then that is what we shall do," I responded.

The door chirped once again.

Seven leaned in and brushed her lips against mine once again, giving me an intense look as she did so, before stepping away and unlocking the door.

As the doors opened, I bowed formally to Seven, "Milady, thank you once again for sharing your insight and for your kindness." I straightened, ignoring for the moment the presence of Lt. Torres.

Seven smiled at me, amusement glinting in her eye at my behavior. "I am pleased that I could be of assistance, Champion Arana." she replied just as formally.

I turned, and took in Lt. Torres expression, which was an interesting mixture of suspicion and confusion. "Lt. Torres, my apologies for the delay," I said to her, inclining my head politely as I stepped out of the room and headed back towards the main science lab and the children.

"What was that about?" Lt. Torres asked Seven behind me.

"A private conversation Lt. Torres, you required my assistance?" I heard Seven reply.

* * *

After leaving Seven I entered the science lab, nodded to the children and resumed my studies. I was not certain how much time had passed when I heard the unmistakable sound of trumpets blowing a clarion call to battle. I stood abruptly, the stool I had been sitting upon falling to the floor behind me. I looked around, but could only see the four children staring at me in surprise.

"Did you just hear anything?" I asked them, suspecting what had just happened, but wanting to be sure.

They looked at me and then at each other, finally Icheb spoke, "I hear the warp core, the sound of the equipment in this laboratory."

"Trumpets," I clarified, "Did you hear the sound of trumpets blowing."

Icheb looked at the other children inquiringly again, then back to me, "I am not aware of what trumpets sound like?"

I smiled, albeit somewhat grimly, "You would have noticed, even if you didn't recognize what it was. I will need aid donning my armor, will you assist me?" I directed the question to all of them, knowing there would be a revolt if I only asked Icheb and not the other three.

They promptly came and stood before me, "We would be pleased to assist you." Metozi assured me with keen interest.

We arrived at my quarters and I excused myself to my bath room to change clothing. Seven had assisted me with designing the specialized clothing to wear under my armor. Instead of woolen padded underclothing, I had a body suit to wear similar to Seven's biosuit, and like hers it helped regulate my body temperature. She had examined my armor and made some design modifications in the fasteners used to attach the pieces together. Instead of leather and buckles, there were tension straps that would not fray or break, and that could be adjusted at any point along their length.

"That looks like Seven's biosuit," observed Metozi when I stepped out of the bathroom.

"Very like," I agreed as I grabbed the chain mail leggings and pulled them on, and then tightened them about my waist with the belt Seven had designed for them. Next came the boots, again designed by Seven, though for these she had consulted with Commander Tuvok.

"Sabatons and greaves," I asked, upon getting blank looks I said, "Boots and calf guards." These I did not need help with, accepting the pieces as they handed them to me; I slid the sabatons over my boots and fastened them, then strapped the greaves over my lower legs. Standing, I walked over to my closet and got out the dark blue arming doublet, "This is an arming doublet, note the chain mail attached to it on the arms, and the chain skirting covering the hips and upper thighs, to protect me where my plate armor does not cover," I lectured as I put the garment on.

"Now is where I need assistance," I informed them pulling the breastplate off the stand. The breastplate consisted of a front, the actual breastplate, and a back plate. Straps fastened it at the shoulder and sides. Kneeling I held the breastplate to my front and directed them on how to position the back plate and then attach the two together.

Next came the cuisses, or thigh armor. I preferred to use elven style cuisses; fortunately that was what Torm had given me. A wide curving piece of armor fitted about my waist, protecting it, my lower back and tailbone, and fastened in the front like a belt. Hanging from the sides of the waist piece were the long curved sections of thigh armor. The thigh armor went from the plate belt to below my knees, and in width covered the back of my thigh and then curved around to protect the front. Leaving only my inner thigh and groin unprotected, except for the chain mail I was wearing underneath them.

Seven had redesigned the straps attaching the thigh armor to the waist piece, and the strap that ran along my inner thigh holding the armor securely in place. The new straps, unlike leather, stretched and allowed me a greater range of movement. Now I could stand fully armored and move my legs freely.

The vambraces I easily fastened to my own arms, but the pauldrons or shoulder armor I again needed the children's assistance.

"Metozi could you braid my hair in a coil on the top of my head please," I requested from the young girl, then knelt so that she could perform the task.

"Seven of Nine to Icheb," I remembered not to move my head as I glanced toward the young man, realizing that Seven had likely come looking for us after assisting Lt. Torres.

"Yes, Seven," he replied politely.

"Why are you in Arana's quarters instead of the science laboratory?" she asked, puzzlement in her tones.

Icheb looked at me, "We are assisting her with donning her armor," he replied proudly.

"Tell her that I have been summoned, the time and place Ilmater wished me to be present for will occur very soon." I asked him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Arana – Book 1 - Chapter 14**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Warning: non descriptive mention of rape.

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 01/19/06

Summary: They find out who the representative of Bane has been seeing, Arana confronts a person from her past.

* * *

Seven arrived at my quarters as I was straightening the chain coif I had placed over my head. I buckled on my sword belt as I told her about the trumpet call only I had heard.

"How would Torm know to alert you in this manner?" Seven asked perplexed, as she watched me slide my longsword into its sheath.

"My presence in this plane allows Torm and Ilmater to perceive events here. I would presume that Torm has sensed the existence of a minion of Bane's somewhere nearby, or some other event has occurred that Torm believes will lead me to discovering Bane's intent here." I explained to her hurriedly, starting to feel the press of time against me.

"Icheb, Mezoti, Rebi, and Azan," I looked upon each of them as I named them, "Thank you for your assistance I could not have armed myself so well and quickly without your help," their faces brightened at my words, and they looked pleased.

"You look very formidable, Champion Arana," Icheb stated.

"Thank you, Icheb," I replied silently agreeing with him. The mythril armor gleamed in the light, silver in color with a slight bluish tint, each individual piece highly filigreed. Torm's emblem, the gauntleted fist, was emblazoned in gold on the breastplate.

"Time is pressing," I commented aloud, garnering curious looks from the children and Seven. Looking at the children I asked, "Can you make your way back to the science lab, I need to find Captain Janeway."

They assured me that they could, and then had to promise Seven that they would go directly there, before she would let them leave on their own. I picked up my gauntlets and slid them over my hands, finally prepared I looked over at Seven, "Shall we find the Captain, Milady."

"Perhaps it would be simpler to ask her for her current location," Seven looked at me amused.

I sighed, "I can feel her, but you are right, asking would be more efficient." I suited words to actions, retrieved my combadge from the pouch at my waist and tapped it, "Champion Arana to Captain Janeway."

"Arana?" Captain Janeway replied.

"The time and place Torm and Ilmater wished me to be present for will occur shortly, I need to be present at your side, Captain." I informed her as I stepped out into the hallway, Seven following beside me.

Captain Janeway had been silent since my statement, finally I heard her reply, "I'm on my way to the bridge from engineering. I'll meet you there."

Seven and I headed toward the nearest turbolift, and crewmembers paused and stared at me in surprise as we passed them, having never seen me before in my armor. We had just entered the turbolift and ordered it to the bridge when the lights in it started flickering. Seven and I looked at one another puzzled, and Seven reached up to tap her combadge, undoubtedly to inquire what was happening. She hesitated as the lift slowed and stopped, and the doors opened revealing Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay.

Both of their eyes widened slightly at the sight of me, "I hope that won't be needed," Captain Janeway commented as she stepped into the lift. She was quickly followed by Chakotay, and ordered the turbolift to the bridge as soon as he was inside and the doors closed.

"I find it best to be prepared where those who follow the Lord of Darkness are concerned." I replied calmly, already mentally preparing myself for what might lie ahead.

Janeway quirked her lips in a tight smile and nodded, then turned around and faced the doors. I glanced over at Seven and gave her a reassuring smile, feeling her uneasiness with the strangeness of the situation. This was the first time I had acted so obviously as a Paladin around her, and I knew she found the idea of some powerful being or beings, communicating with me and directing me places, to be troubling.

The doors opened onto the bridge, an odd greenish glow emanated from the view screen drawing my attention immediately toward it. It did not take me but a second to realize what and who I was seeing on the view screen. Seven took in a quick breath beside me and I could feel a sudden sharp spike of fear from her before she controlled herself.

I stayed with the Captain, pacing myself so I remained slightly behind her as we stepped out onto the bridge. Janeway stopped after a few feet, resting her hands on the railing that separated the back of the bridge from the center, instead of going around and sitting in her chair.

Curiously I examined the Queen, noting the skin color, the tubes I could barely see coming out of the bare skin of her head. I had read that she had a mechanical body, but now I could see where the junction was between the black metal of it and that all that remained of her biological body. Behind her I could see the interior of the cube, and occasionally a drone walking back and forth doing some task.

"Captain," the Borg Queen acknowledged Janeway's entry on the bridge politely, then her eyes shifted and fell upon me and I could see that she was examining me closely.

"It's been a long time," Janeway replied, "How are things in the Collective." I could sense the Captain's inner turmoil, this close to her, but she betrayed none of it in her voice, and I could not help but admire her composure.

"Perfect, for the most part." The Borg Queen replied to her then her eyes shifted to me. "I see you have a visitor," she stated.

"Yes," Janeway replied shortly, volunteering no further information about me.

The Borg Queen smiled slightly. A flicker of movement behind her drew my attention. Behind her a figure appeared, as he drew closer to the Borg Queen I could see that he was an older human male wearing black armor. As he came up beside her I could make out the detail of the medallion he wore, it was a fist with rays of light escaping through the fingers, the mark of Bane. Cruelty stamped its mark upon his face in the coldness of his dark eyes, the permanent sneer to his mouth. I did not know what a follower of Bane was doing with the Borg Queen, but it could not be anything pleasant.

Looking upon his face, I felt the echo of an old memory, a chill came over me, I knew him. Images of a cold, cruel man at Lord Durass's parties superimposed itself, and I was suddenly certain that it was he. Searching my memory I remembered his name, he had been called Lord Askal. He had been a frequent visitor during the last two years of my slavery, and I had not considered it coincidence that Lord Durass drugged me with a powerful aphrodisiac before each of his visits. I steeled myself as he walked up beside the Borg Queen; if he recognized me I was certain that he would take the opportunity to taunt me.

"High Cleric Torr Askal, Emissary of Bane," the Borg Queen introduced as he walked up beside her.

Askal and I stared at one another, then I saw the recognition in his eyes, I took in a breath and prepared myself. "Champion Arana of Torm," he smiled coldly, "I wonder if you remember me, I certainly remember you. How could I ever forget such a beautiful face, such a lovely body, you seem to have matured nicely since I last had you at one of Lord Durass's parties." I could almost feel the ripple of disbelief and shock around the bridge, as the meaning of his words sunk in.

There was a brief movement of Captain Janeway's head as she glanced my way, but she quickly turned back towards the screen. Before I could think of a response, I heard Captain Janeway ask, "So, what does an Emissary of Bane want with the Borg?" Her voice was tight, and I could sense her anger.

I felt more than saw Seven move up to stand beside me; she was concerned for me, and extremely angry. She knew the events he was referring to, and knew that I still had a hard time talking about those parties.

"Why is a Champion of Torm on your ship?" he retorted, then his eyes widened. "Of course that's how you escaped from Tuskal." He and I stared coldly at one another. Then he smiled cruelly, "I made sure to tell them about the things you liked so they would know how to please you."

Suddenly I was tired of this game; I would not win so long as I allowed myself to act as if I were ashamed and afraid. I stepped forward to stand beside Janeway, "You are a pathetic man Askal, bragging of beating and raping a slave girl of fourteen that you had drugged with Murkal so you could persuade yourself that I liked your abuse." I stated it plainly, and felt the renewed shock of those around me. I felt a moment of pity for the bridge crew; they were definitely not used to exchanges of this nature.

Slightly behind me I felt Seven's initial confusion at my words, the openness with which I had said them. Then her confusion cleared and I felt her eyes rest upon me and I prayed she was recalling my words earlier, that she understood I was not going to let him make me feel ashamed for his actions. Fierce pleased emotions radiated from her, and I hoped they were because she understood why I had chosen to confront him, instead of trying to ignore his efforts to humiliate me.

Whatever Seven's understanding of the situation, her presence beside me lifted my spirits, "I am not that slave girl anymore Askal, you don't frighten me." I lifted my head and looked directly into his eyes.

Unadulterated rage passed over his face, "I'm sure I could persuade you of the wisdom of fearing me if I were to have the opportunity to meet you again." He snarled.

"What an interesting idea," a voice came from thin air; I whipped my head around searching for the source. In a gleam of light a man appeared by the Captain's chair, "Perhaps I could arrange that for you." He stated staring at me out of dark eyes.

"Q," Captain Janeway exclaimed dismayed, "What are you doing here."

I stiffened recognizing the name, if one could call it that as it seemed to be the term for his entire race as well. I bowed respectfully for a moment, "Lord Q." I kept a careful eye on the strange man, from what I had read he was not evil, but from the ship's logs he usually brought chaos and confusion with him.

We examined each other closely, ignoring everyone else in the room. "Fascinating," he finally announced, and I could have echoed it. If I had not known what he was from what Captain Janeway called him and Voyager's records, I would have assumed he was a Toril deity, just one unknown to me.

Q turned toward the view screen, "You are not supposed to be here," he declared coldly to Askal.

Focusing my attention back upon Askal I noticed that he did not look at all pleased by this turn of events, "My presence does not breaking the agreement, you can't interfere with me." Askal replied to Q.

"Your right, I can't," Q replied and I could hear the satisfied smile in his voice. Q snapped his fingers and Askal disappeared from beside the Borg Queen.

The Borg Queen had been silent up to this point, "I was told that the Continuum would not detect his presence here or be able to interfere with his mission." She spoke to Q.

"Oh I'm not, I'm just going to grant his wish," Q assured her suavely.

I frowned for a moment, then my confusion cleared and I suddenly knew what he had planned. Q apparently could not do anything about Askal, but I could.

Q turned and stepped toward me, in a low voice he whispered, "You have fifteen seconds, prepare well." Then he snapped his fingers and the bridge disappeared, instead I stood in the middle of some type of arena. Rows of seats stretched around and up around the white sand of the arena floor where I stood. Upon my left arm was the kite shield I had left in my quarters, I glanced at it for a moment then recalling Q's words I began preparing for the upcoming conflict. Askal was most likely a pure cleric, which meant that I needed to defend myself from his spells; the only question in my mind was how good a cleric was he.

At the very least I knew I needed to protect myself from profane spells, so the first glyph and word I said cast a protective circle around me against evil. My next act was to murmur a quick prayer for Torm's aid, and draw my longsword.

A flash of light caught my eye and I whirled around to face Askal, we looked at each other for a moment then he began drawing a glyph in the air. I knew what type of spell it was from the feel of it, and I barely had time to trace the death ward symbol in the air before his spell impacted upon it. There was a horrible shriek and inky blackness flowed around me as my ward resisted the spell. It answered my question, he was a skilled cleric, if I had failed to get my ward up, I would have died when it hit me.

Not waiting for him to launch a second spell I leapt toward him, he yelled out a word and reflexively I threw up my shield, heat and searing light washed around me, and I held my breath knowing that I would burn my nose and throat if I breathed in the heated air. I heard the sound of the spell impacting the stone wall surrounding the arena floor after it passed me, but I ignored it.

He blocked my first sword strike, our weapons locked and we strived against one another, glaring at each other over the crossed weapons. Though he was heavier and slightly taller than I he was not stronger and could not push my blade down as he was attempting, finally he was able to push away from me and gain some distance.

Before I could close again, he shouted out a word, desperation in his voice. The stench of death filled the air and I knew he had summoned some undead creature to do his bidding. I dived and rolled putting some distance between me and whatever he had summoned. When I rolled to my feet I saw it, decaying skin stretched tight over its bones, its red eyes glared at me, and decayed lips revealed rotting pointed teeth, it was a ghoul.

I was surprised; if he could call this he could have called something more useful against me, something against which I couldn't use my paladin abilities. I summoned my will and gestured, rebuking the ghoul's existence. I was not able to destroy it, but it turned and fled across the sands from me.

Summoning my strength, I charged Askal, holding up my shield and leaning my weight into it to ram into him. "For Torm!" I cried, summoning my patron's protection and power. Once again Askal summoned profane fire to send against me, it washed against my shield and around me just before I crashed into him sending him back and down to the sand of the arena floor. Not hesitating, I swung my sword with all my strength, shearing through his armor and cutting deeply into his chest.

A shriek behind me reminded me of the ghoul; I pulled my sword from Askal and turned around only to see nothing as it disappeared upon its summoner's death.

I looked at Askal, his dead eyes stared unseeingly upward, blood ran from the sides of his mouth into his beard. It had been both vengeance and duty, and as usual the vengeance left me empty, his death would never undo the abuses I had suffered from him. I was satisfied though; that I had succeeded in performing my duty, and ensured that he would never again hurt someone else.

Shaking myself from my retrospection I looked around, and noticed the devastation the flame strikes he had cast at me caused upon the stone wall separating the arena floor from the empty spectator stands. In both places where they had struck, the wall had been breeched, the square stones lying tumbled on the ground, blackened and in some cases split open from the heat.

"Well, I guess he didn't persuade you of the wisdom of fearing him," Q appeared, looking down upon the dead body with a bored expression on his face.

"No, Milord Q, he did not," I replied calmly.

Q looked at me, raised one eyebrow, "What no celebration, no rejoicing that he's dead?"

"I did my duty, he cannot hurt anyone now," I replied simply, meeting Q's dark eyes.

Q shook his head, "What is that human saying, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" he mused.

"Milord?" I replied confused, I was familiar of course with the saying; it was usually used to imply that a son or daughter was like their parents. "Did you know my parents?"

"Your parents? No not them," he replied then before I could say anymore snapped his fingers and we were once again on the bridge of Voyager. Q gave me an unreadable glance then disappeared once again before I could ask him anymore.

I was standing by the Captain's chair, looking up I saw the Borg Queen still on the view screen beside her lay the dead body of Askal. Her gaze sifted from him to me, "Primitive but effective," she commented staring at my longsword which I still held in my hand.

"Your Majesty," I acknowledged her words, and gave her a short bow, keeping my eyes warily upon her.

She raised an eyebrow at this response, and then the view screen went blank.

I stared at it for a second, trying to order my thoughts and ignore the confusing mixture of emotions bombarding me from all sides. Taking in a calming breath, I turned around and looked at Seven and the Captain. As soon as I saw Seven's face I could tell how worried she had been, "I am unhurt Milady," I assured her.

Her eyes wandered over my face, and then up and down my body, verifying my statement before her eyes met mine again and she nodded sharply. I didn't need my empathy to know that she was still upset and agitated, though the why eluded me. I took a moment to examine my sword, noting with surprise that it was not bloodied; the blade was as clean and untouched as when I first drew it. Frowning in confusion, for the blow I struck should have scratched even a mythril blade, I sheathed it.

"Tuvok, has that Borg vessel we found earlier changed course?" Captain Janeway's voice drew my attention away from Seven.

"No, Captain," he replied, looking up from his tactical station. His gaze fell upon me and he nodded to me briefly, his eyes grave as they met mine.

"Keep an eye out for transwarp corridors," she ordered. Raising her voice she addressed all those on the bridge, "Everyone, I'm sure this isn't needed, but I'd like to remind everyone that what was heard earlier is not an appropriate topic of casual conversation, nor considering that we have minors aboard an appropriate topic of any public conversation." Her voice was stern, and she made a point to look at everyone as she made the statement.

Subdued, "Yes, Captain," responses came from everyone. I looked around, people had trouble meeting my eyes, but I did not have the feeling that it was because they disapproved of me, but rather that they did not know how to react to me at this moment. The general mood of the room was one of confusion, with an assortment of other emotions like fear, uncertainty, anger, and in some pride and satisfaction.

"Chakotay, have the senior staff report to the briefing room in twenty minutes," Janeway ordered him.

He nodded, his face set, eyes worried.

The Captain turned to me, our eyes met, I could see her worry, both at the situation and for me, "Arana would you join me in my ready room please." She said in a softer tone than she had used so far.

"Certainly, Captain," I replied. I returned my gaze to Seven, and gave her a reassuring smile. She was calmer now, and her gaze flickered from the Captain to me questioningly.

I frowned, trying to understand what she meant then shook my head as it came to me, no I did not need her to accompany me.

There was a slight frown on her face as her eyes searched mine then she drew in a breath and nodded.

"Milady," I inclined my head toward her, and then faced the Captain expectantly.

Janeway's eyes flickered speculatively for a moment between Seven and I then she turned and headed to her ready room and I followed.

Instead of sitting at her desk she turned to the left, where there were two couches with a low table between them. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.

"Water please, Captain," I replied gratefully. The spells had not damaged me, but my throat was parched. I pulled off my gauntlets then removed both my mail coif and the cloth protecting my hair, and placed them carefully on the floor before accepting the glass she handed me. I took a few sips before speaking, "You need to know who High Cleric Askal was, and how I knew him. And what opinions are as to why Bane would have sent an Emissary to the Borg Queen." I stated openly, feeling her reluctance to start the conversation.

She grimaced, "I don't want to pry into your past, Arana, unless you want to talk about it. I just want to know who he was."

I nodded, "When I was twelve Lord Durass bought me and two other young female slaves to be his body slaves. He would throw parties and invite influential men with whom he wished to curry favor. After they had eaten and drank, he would bring us in and let them do what they wished to us, so long as they did not permanently disfigure us." I pressed on ignoring the Captains emotions for now.

"I only knew him as Lord Askal, and as I stated, he liked beating us before he raped us. Because Durass was never able to break my spirit, I was Askal's favorite when he visited. I did not know then that he was a cleric to Bane, though perhaps I should have considering the way he needed me to fear him." I finally looked at her.

She looked horrified, and I knew I was right to not mention that Lord Durass had not been much better. "As to what he was, I am not certain, the Order does not know much about Bane's clergy, and the places where they are openly allowed to build temples are not places the Order of Torm is welcomed. The mageocracy of Thay is one of those places. If I had to guess I would say that he was most likely fairly high up in Bane's clergy, perhaps even a leader of one of the temples in Thay."

Janeway nodded, she looked me in the eye for a long moment, "Are you alright, Arana?"

I nodded, "My torture at the hands of the Lovitarian priests stirred up old memories of my time with Lord Durass, but with Seven's assistance I have been able to put them to rest, and have come to peace with what the Priests of Lovitar did to me as well."

"Seven," she repeated surprised, "you've been speaking to her about this?" that fact seemed to trouble her.

"Yes, Captain. I told her some of it the first day I arrived here, and she has continued to help me ever since then." I replied, uncertain as to why she was reacting this way.

She stared at me, "And has she had any problems dealing with this information?"

I realized what was troubling her; she was concerned for Seven, worried that Seven was not ready to be that type of confidant to me. "Only one, and she has already determined how best to handle it."

"Oh Kathy, don't worry so about your Borg, she's been doing just fine handling her Paladin." Q's arch voice broke in as he appeared on the couch across from us.

"Milord Q," I protested his jesting, understanding only too well his innuendo, even if the Captain did not. Though I appreciated the humor and truth of it, it was not entirely proper to make such a remark. Not to mention I had not had the opportunity to formally inform the Captain of the fact I was courting Seven.

"Arana?" Seven entered the ready room abruptly, and glanced around obviously concerned.

I stood and glanced at her questioningly, uncertain as to why she had entered, and why she was so worried about me.

"See," commented Q, "Just the tiny hint that Arana might be distressed, and she comes to make sure nothings wrong."

"Q," stated Seven flatly as she walked up and stood beside me.

"Q, what is going on?" Captain Janeway divided her attention between Q, and Seven and I, staring at all of us with a slight frown.

"Don't they make such a cute couple," Q observed. He shook his head and sighed, glancing over at Captain Janeway, "Though you have to admit Kathy, they have it a bit confused," he looked back at Seven and I, "the knight in shining armor is supposed to rescue the fair damsel, not the other way around."

I struggled with whether I was more indignant or amused at his statement. Glancing over at Seven I saw the smirk on her face, and felt the grin forming on my own. "I shall keep that in mind, Milord."

Q leaned back against the couch and chuckled.

The Captain was glancing between Seven and I, and I could see the realization in her eyes as she observed us together. I turned to Seven, "Milady I have your permission?" I asked wanting to be certain, though I was fairly sure that at this moment the Captain already knew.

Seven raised her brow at me, then she glanced over at the Captain, "To tell Captain Janeway you are courting me?" she asked.

"That you have given me permission to court you," I clarified.

Seven smirked at me, "Very well, you have my permission to continue courting me."

I frowned confused, then I caught her meaning and blushed, she was right of course, strictly speaking I had been courting her for quite some time hoping that she could return my interest.

"See?" remarked Q, "She has no difficulty handing her Paladin at all."

I ignored him, determined to make it through the next few seconds. I turned to Captain Janeway, "Captain, I wish to inform you that Seven of Nine has given me permission to court her with the hope that we may fall in love with and form a permanent relationship with one another. As my liege, I must ask if you have any objections to this courtship."

Captain Janeway stared at us for a long moment, "Besides not knowing how long you will remain here?" she commented to me.

I had almost forgotten her surety that I was not going to be a permanent member of this crew. Now I rued that I had not made more of an effort to convince Captain Janeway that Torm would have not blessed my oath to her service, had he not meant me to serve here.

"Oh don't worry about that Kathy, I'm sure arrangements can be made if these two lovebirds want to stay together." Q commented. "And isn't she your vassal? That hardly indicates that she's about to go wandering off somewhere, Paladins take that type of oath fairly seriously."

Captain Janeway stared at him, narrow eyed. "The Q have something to do with this entire situation don't they."

"Oh not yet Kathy, your being impatient, and leaving them hanging. Look at them, how can you possibly be so heartless as to stand in the way of true love?" Q finished soulfully, gazing at Seven and I.

Captain Janeway rubbed the bridge of her noise, I could feel her aggravation with the situation and regretted bring this issue up at this moment even though Q had, I suspected, deliberately instigated events so that it had to be addressed.

"I don't make a habit of interfering in my crewmember's personal lives," she stated to Q. Turning to Seven and I she said, "I have no objections, only the concern I mentioned earlier, I don't want either of you to be hurt if Arana has to go back to Faerun."

"That's such a paltry thing to be concerned about," Q interrupted, "Especially when there is a much bigger problem that needs to be dealt with."


	15. Chapter 15

**FArana – Book 1 - Chapter 15**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 01/22/06

Summary: Q gives a history lesson, Seven and Arana discuss what happened earlier.

* * *

Q snapped his fingers and with a flash of bright light we were no longer in the Captain's ready room. Instead we were seated around a large wood table, and with us were the rest of Voyager's senior staff, Commanders Chakotay and Tuvok, Lieutenants Torres and Paris and Ensign Kim. 

I ignored for the moment the various exclamations of surprise from the others at their change in location and looked curiously around the room. There was an expensive looking rug on the floor, and medium toned wood paneling, some type of oak I thought from the color and grain, covered the walls. At one end of the room, in a dark stone fireplace a fire burned. I could sense no danger to us in the immediate area, and so focused my attention on what was being said around the table.

"Where have you taken us Q," Janeway demanded of him. I didn't know whether to be impressed at her courage, or wonder at her impudence; I would not address someone as powerful as I suspected Q was in that manner.

"You wanted a briefing didn't you?" he asked her with a smirk. "Or I can send you all back to your precious ship, and you can try to figure it out for yourselves instead of me simply telling you what you need to know." The mirthful demeanor dropped suddenly and he turned grim. "And if you don't figure it out correctly, you may find that your comfortable god-free universe ceases to exist. Then you will become all too familiar with Arana's reality."

"The deities of Toril are Q," Seven deduced.

The pronouncement drew every ones attention, including Q's. He looked away from Captain Janeway toward Seven, "Brilliant, as well as beautiful," he complemented her. "Yes, the deities of Toril are Q, but they're no longer welcome in the Continuum or this Universe."

Janeway sat down in the chair nearest her, "What does this have to do with Toril, and the Borg?" her face worried.

Q looked darkly somber, "A very long time ago there were a group of Q who viewed mortals as their playthings, their toys, to be treated however they wished. Two members of that group were particularly cruel; Arana knows of them as Bane and Lolth or Lovitar."

I drew in a breath of shock at the linking of the Drow's Queen of Spiders and the Maiden of Pain.

"Yes," Q spoke to me, "One Q, two names, the same sick, twisted psychopath whatever you call her." We stared at one another, and I caught a bare hint of fear and anger from him as he spoke of her, and it crossed my mind that perhaps he had his own personal memories of Lovitar.

I was trying to fit what he had just revealed with what I had thought I knew of Faerun's deities, but my mind was too confused at the moment to think clearly. One thing I did know though, if Q was speaking the truth then I knew that Lovitar had tortured at least one Q, Ilmater, so it was not surprising to think that perhaps she had tortured others as well.

Q turned back to Janeway, "And Bane wasn't that much better, he was just more interested in leaving some of the mortals alive so he could order then around and watch them cower in fear."

"You said there was a group of these Q?" asked Chakotay.

"Yes, Bane and Lolth were by far the worst of them, but there were several others that thought the same way, and treated mortals similarly." Q answered him. "To make a long story short, the Continuum for the most part ignored their activities, but there were a few Q who took it upon themselves to try and stop them from indulging in their favorite pastime. The confrontations between the two groups escalated, during one of them Bane's group managed to capture a few of the Q from the other group and decided that they deserved to be treated like mortals since they were so intent on protecting them."

"Ilmater?" I questioned, feeling somewhat lost, was he telling the truth or spinning an elaborate lie for his own reasons? I knew that the gods were notoriously close mouthed about their pasts, their relationship to one another, why they did some things and why they didn't do others. Most of the things the common people thought were true about the gods were merely stories that had been told by clerics and priests to explain their actions to their followers. If what Q were saying was the truth, why had the gods not simply told us of this, instead of letting their priests make up inaccurate tales.

Q hesitated, but then answered me, "Yes, the Q you call Ilmater was one of those captured, and of that group, he was the one Q Bane and Lolth despised the most because of the way he treated mortals."

"They tortured him," Captain Janeway said, "Is that why they were thrown out of the Continuum?"

Q nodded bleakly to her, "When the Continuum realized what Bane and Lolth were doing they finally acted, it was one thing to treat mortals so, another thing to do it to another Q. Fortunately, the Continuum demanded, and was able to force Bane and Lolth into releasing their captives before they managed to destroy Ilmater. The Continuum banished all of them, but they refused to leave unless they were allowed to take a group of mortals with them, they had grown…addicted to tormenting them I guess. The Continuum agreed rather than risk an all out war that would destroy the Universe."

"The mortals they took with them are the current inhabitants of Toril?" asked Commander Tuvok. "That would explain the unusual diversity of sentient species living on Toril; they were taken from different planets in this universe."

Q nodded, "They are," Q's dark eyes shifted to me, "and rather than leave those mortals completely at the mercy of the Q that were banished, some of the Q who had been trying to protect them voluntarily went into exile as well."

"Tyr, Ilmater, Lathander, Chauntea, Selune and the other good deities," I guessed, and my heart lightened. No matter what proved to be the truth about my gods, knowing that they had voluntarily chosen to accept exile from their own people to protect us warmed me.

"Yes," Q replied.

I straightened in my chair, the moment of doubt I felt fading at this confirmation. This information, that my deities were powerful, advanced beings from this plane changed nothing of my loyalty, duty, and, yes, my feelings towards my chosen deities. They had never lied to me about who they were. Ilmater understood my past, and the difficulties I had to overcome, because he had also suffered. Torm understood my need to protect the innocent and helpless, because he had answered the same call, and had chosen the same path. None of those essential truths had changed.

Q and I stared at each other for a moment, then just for a second, he smiled at me and regarded me with what appeared to be genuine affection. In the next moment it was gone, and I wasn't entirely certain whether I had actually witnessed it or not.

"So, why would Bane send an emissary to the Borg?" asked Captain Janeway, with a deep frown on her face.

"Ah well, there your guesses would be as accurate as mine," Q's tone and demeanor was suddenly closer to how it had been before we had started this discussion about Bane and Lolth. He smirked, and raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The wood paneled room disappeared and suddenly we were standing in Voyager's briefing room arranged randomly around the table, minus the presence of Q.

A deep sigh drew my attention to Captain Janeway who was once again rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Alright, everyone sit down, lets go over what we know now," she dropped her hand, "I'll stand for now," she forestalled anyone else's offer, as there was one less seat than needed.

"What just happened? Why was Q telling us that Arana's deities are other Q?" Lt. Torres asked confused, and I remembered that she had not been present on the bridge. She had not witnessed the scene and subsequent fight between Askal and me.

Ensign Kim and Lt. Paris filled her in hurriedly about the contact by the Borg Queen, the appearance of Askal, they awkwardly glossed over his taunting of me and my response, and then told how Q appeared and transported Askal and I to an arena to fight. I hadn't known until they mentioned it that the entire fight had been somehow projected onto Voyagers view screen.

"By the way, what was that first spell Askal cast at you? The black looking one with the shrieking sound?" Lt. Paris asked me.

"Destruction, a death spell," I answered him, remembering with a chill how close that moment had been, "It was fortunate I recognized the type of spell in time to counter it, or that would have been a very short, unfortunate fight for me." Startled looks from around the table prompted me to explain further, "The spell kills instantly, and then destroys the body so that only a very high level cleric can resurrect the person, providing of course their deity is willing."

Seven had whipped her head around and stared at me during my first sentence, and I could now clearly feel her concern and fear for me. I cursed myself silently, I should have considered her before speaking so, and not been so thoughtless in my delivery of the information. Seven, of course, had not known the nature of the spell, or how deadly that moment could have been until this moment.

"I can't believe we're talking about spells and magic, it's bioelectrical energy that Arana stores and manipulates, not some hocus pocus," Lt. Torres rebuked them irritated, interrupting anything Seven might have wanted to say to me.

Seven gave me a speaking look, and I knew we would be discussing the battle later, then shifted her attention to Lt Torres. I did so as well, relieved that whatever Seven wanted to say to me would be spoken in private, and replied to the Lieutenant, "I am aware of that Lt. Torres, but I do not consciously control it, anymore than I consciously cause my heart to beat. I require the use of words and gestures to form and control this energy; to me they are spells and magic."

"You mentioned resurrection, does that mean that we will be seeing that guy again?" asked Lt. Paris.

"Not unless there is another priest of sufficiently high level there to raise him, or the Borg Queen has access to a portal and sends his body back to Bane's priests on Toril." I replied.

"How likely do you consider that possibility?" asked Tuvok.

"That there is another priest there? Or that the Queen has access to a portal?" I asked him confused.

"Both," he replied succinctly.

I sat back in my chair and considered the question, "He would likely have an aide, given his position, but it is unlikely that the aide would be of sufficient skill to petition Bane bring him back from death, and then of course there is the fact that Bane seldom grants followers who have failed him such a second chance." I shrugged, "But that is impossible for me to forecast, Bane is an unpredictable god."

"As for a portal?" I considered it and frowned, "Somehow I doubt there is one, at least not one that would be kept open. The Borg Queen is a powerful woman, and one that already wants to conquer this plane. I do not think he would want to give her any reason to believe she might be able to expanding her plans to include Toril. I also doubt that she would be interested in the possibility of Bane expanding his conquest plans to this universe. Either way, I do not think it likely that an open portal exists between the two planes." I paused, reconsidering my statement, "Unless he was convinced she was under his control." I added.

"Do you think he could do that?" asked Captain Janeway sharply.

"Bring the Borg under his control? I have no idea. I do not know enough about the Queen or how she controls the Collective to even make a decent guess," I replied.

"You think he's trying to bring the Borg to Toril to assimilate them?" asked Chakotay surprised, and from his tone unconvinced.

"Didn't you say Bane wants complete control of Toril?" Captain Janeway asked me.

I nodded silently seeing where she was going with this line of thought. Assimilation did give one complete control over the person assimilated; only why would Bane think he would be the one who would be controlling the Collective instead of the Borg Queen.

"I do not see how that would gain him his objective." Seven said perplexed, "The Borg Queen would then be the one controlling Toril not he."

"Unless if he thinks he can control her," Captain Janeway repeated my statement as she paced slowly around the table, and everyone turned in their seats to watch her, "If I am remembering correctly, he doesn't mind his underlings having their own kingdoms just so long as they understand that he is the one that has ultimate control?" she glanced at me inquiringly.

"You are correct," I confirmed.

"Or maybe he just wants to come back, maybe he's got a grudge against the Q here for banishing him," Lt. Paris pointed out.

Captain Janeway sighed, "Q's right these are all guesses, we don't have enough information to even evaluate which one is most likely."

"We do know one thing," I stated. Captain Janeway looked at me inquiringly, "Whatever he has planned it is likely to be unpleasant for either the people in this plane, or the people in mine, or both."

There were general murmurs of agreement from around the table.

Captain Janeway returned my gaze, nodding grimly. "Alright, we're going ahead with our plans to infiltrate the Borg cube and release the virus to allow the drones from Unimatrix Zero so they can retain their memories while they are awake." She looked around the table, "It will help them, and at the very least it will keep the Borg Queen busy with her own issues, and if we are lucky it will do some significant damage to the Collective."

* * *

"Seven, I regret that I did not think to…," I struggled for the right words, while Seven helped me remove my armor. "Find a gentler way to tell Lt. Paris the effects of Askal's spell. I did not mean to cause you distress." 

Seven hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to finish hanging my breastplate on its stand. "My response was illogical; you did not have a choice in whether or not to fight him." I began to correct her knowing that I would have chosen to had Q actually asked me when she continued, "And I know that you would have agreed if Q had asked, it is your duty to stop the servants and works of Bane whenever you are presented the chance to do so." She stared at me, solemnly.

"It is, Milady," I confirmed. I felt a chill go through me, and wondered if she was reconsidering her decision. My duty to Torm meant that I went into danger frequently, I would understand if she decided that she did not want to fall in love with me.

"What are you thinking?" Seven asked, coming back over to me and gazing into my eyes.

"That I would understand if you decided you would rather not fall in love with me, that you would rather choose someone who was not likely to leave you alone and grieving because they had been killed." I answered her truthfully.

Her eyes narrowed, "I agreed to let you continue courting me after seeing your confrontation with Askal, after rescuing you from the Lovitarians, after seeing how damaged you were that day. I believe I have an accurate understanding of the risks you engage in because of your duties." From her tone and expression I could not possibly miss the fact that she was not pleased with me. "The Borg cube we are about to engage is a Class 4 Tactical Cube, heavily armed, heavily shielded, if they chose to engage Voyager we will lose and be assimilated." she stated bluntly.

I was surprised; I had not known that the Borg vessel they planned to infiltrate was so dangerous. I groaned, and ran my hand thorough my hair, "My pardon Milady, it is so peaceful here that I had forgotten what I learned from the ships logs. You go into as much danger as I do." I pulled off the arming jacket and stared at it for a moment blankly before shaking myself and turning to hang it in the proper place.

"Arana, what is causing this uncertainty," Seven asked, her eyes intent upon me.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it realizing that I could not in all honesty claim that nothing was making me uncertain. She was right something was bothering me, but my thoughts were such confusion I could not immediately identify any one thing. "I am not certain," I finally admitted to her.

I stared into her blue eyes for a moment, then turned and looked out the viewport, crossing my arms across my chest. We were in normal space and I could see inky blackness lit by the occasional star. I sighed, I had not been entirely truthful, "There is a saying to be careful of what you wish to happen just in case some mischievous spirit is listening."

Seven came up beside me and rested her hand on my defensively crossed arms, "This is about what Askal revealed."

"Though I know I could not have done anything to stop him, I do not like people to know of him or what happened to me during those parties," I admitted bleakly.

Seven replied softly, "I remember, you informed me you would prefer that I not share that information when you spoke with me about them."

"I was terrified of him, and what would happen whenever he came to one of Durass's parties. I thought several times that he was going to kill me, he beat me so violently. Sometimes I provoked him in the hope that he would, and it would all be over." I stared at her, feeling oddly separated from what I thought I should be feeling. Memories of those dark, hopeless days were so close to me at this moment, yet I felt as detached as I had looking into Askal's dead eyes. "I feel as thought I should be feeling something… anger, fear, pain, but all I feel is muted, as if my emotions are far away from me."

Seven's hand tightened on my arm, and I felt her concern for me. Her eyes shifted to the side in a manner I had become familiar with, and I could tell she was accessing her cortical node for information. Her eyes focused upon me again, "You are experiencing emotional numbness," she stated questioningly.

Slowly I nodded, "Yes, and yes, I know that it not an uncommon reaction to events which prompt memories of abuse. I have seen this in other women." I knew the reaction, I understood that I was experiencing it, but I could not seem to gather the strength to fight it.

"How did you assist them?" Seven asked me.

"Took them out of the situation that prompted it if possible, made certain they felt safe, discussed it with them if they wished to do so, reassured them that they were not responsible for their attackers actions," I recited, it was what Father Tormlin had taught me, and what he had done for me frequently in those early years.

Seven stated straightforwardly, "Askal is dead; he cannot hurt you or anyone now. You are the one who terminated him, as you stated you are not a slave girl now, you are a skilled fighter, and priestess." I looked at her, my attention caught by the plainly spoken words and the surety with which she spoke them, reinforced by the emotions I could sense from her.

My lips quirked in a slight smile, "I am out of the situation, and not only that but I'm fairly certain that he won't be resurrected so I've made sure it can't happen again." My momentary amusement left and my smile faded, as I contemplated the next question. It was more the crux of my current situation, it wasn't that I did not feel safe here, I did, but I also felt…exposed was probably the most correct word.

Seven hesitated, "Do you still feel safe here? Or has the information revealed earlier about Askal's abuse of you changed your perception."

I was silent for a moment, reluctantly I finally said, "At the time I was in battle mode, my thoughts were more toward stopping him from getting an advantage over me. My revelation was a counter attack, by stating it myself I threw him off balance, his type is too used to their victims cowering before them, not confronting them."

"And now?" Seven asked softly.

I dropped my eyes from hers, a silent answer.

Seven stepped closer, close enough that my crossed arms almost touched her chest, and I could feel the heat of her body. My eyes flew up to hers, startled, "You are concerned about how the crew will react to this information." Her voice was gentle.

"I am," I admitted reluctantly. "Even if I do not hear them discussing it I will feel their emotions."

Seven frowned, "I believe that most empaths shield themselves from sensing other's emotions."

"I have been attempting to shield myself from their emotions," I hurried to assure her, "But when they are feeling something strongly it breaches my efforts to not sense them."

"Tuvok has been assisting you with this?" Seven inquired.

I nodded, "Yes, and I have been researching your databases for information about how other empathic races control their abilities. I found a few documents by a Commander Deanna Troi, a Starfleet counselor, that have proven helpful, but even she states that she cannot shield her senses enough to completely block out another's emotions if they are strongly felt." I did not feel like bringing up that I thought that it was not entirely a bad thing. I felt this had been gifted to me so that I could sense when others needed me, or when someone was a danger to me or another person.

Seven tugged on my arm and led me to the inset couch to sit down. She shifted so she could face me, and laid her left hand lightly on my thigh. I covered it with mine and absently began tracing the metal banding on her fingers.

"I do not know how the other crewmembers will react. They have frequently surprised me with the compassion of their responses to certain situations." Seven stated after a thoughtful moment. "I know you do not want them to feel pity for you, and I do not think it likely that many will, you are not a person that inspires pity. After you left the bridge with Captain Janeway, the conversations I overheard were more concerned with how it was possible for you to create a personal forcefield to protect yourself from his attacks and how fearless you appeared. There were no discussions about what he said to you, or your reply."

Seven leaned forward slightly, emphasizing her words, "The crew does not perceive you as a person needing their pity. You are seen as a person with strong religious beliefs and a strict moral code, someone capable of protecting yourself and others. And now they have seen that your capability to manipulate energy is not just for creating globes of light, but is actually a rather significant ability."

"You are saying I should not prejudge how they will react, this may not be as difficult as my fears have me anticipating." I replied thoughtfully. "If I do not act like I am expecting people to pity me, then I am not likely to incite any, this I already know from my own experiences. I learned long ago that a puzzled but polite response to searching inquiries about my emotional state was an effective way of discouraging them."

Seven smirked. "Ah, I see you know that one as well," I commented, seeing the wry amusement in her eyes.

"I have not used it for that purpose, but it is an effective method of discouraging personal inquires of almost any nature." Seven replied. "Though in the past I did not appreciate why I needed to frame my replies in a polite manner that is one of the reasons I became perceived as being rude. Though I attempt to be polite now, the impression people formed of me the first year I was aboard Voyager seems to be the one most still associate with me."

I nodded in unhappy agreement, "First impressions are lasting ones," I squeezed her hand underneath mine encouragingly, "But with persistence you will persuade people to see that you have changed."

Seven raised her brow for a moment, considering my words, "I shall continue my efforts then." Her eyes examined mine and she drew in a breath.

Before she could speak, I asked the question for her, "And the final question, do I feel as though I was responsible for Askal's actions." Unnoticed by me, my hand on hers stilled, ceasing its caressing movement.

Seven nodded, watching me with concern. I noted, but did not think much of the fact that her eyes flickered briefly to our joined hands.

"No, not responsible, but I cannot forget what the Murkal made me feel, that it caused me to feel pleasure when he hit me, when he raped me." I took a deep breath, a moment to control my emotions, "That is why I still remember him, when I have for the most part forgotten all the others at those parties."

Seven stared at me uncertainly, I knew she could sense there was more to it than what I had mentioned. I thought briefly about not continuing, finding an excuse to end the conversation. I looked into her eyes, saw and felt her compassion, her yearning to ease the pain I was feeling, and I was ashamed of that thought.

I glanced away from her, my gaze fell upon my armor, on Torm's symbol on its breastplate. That symbol represented the way I had lived my life for the last ten years, I was no longer that child, I was no longer unable to protect myself, and I was not going to hide myself from the woman I was falling in love with.

I met Seven's eyes once again, "I still feel shame that I felt that, that I could not control it. Durass was never interested in whether or not I felt pleasure when he touched me, and I never did. Some of the men were almost kind and tried to make me enjoy what they were doing to me," I grimaced, "But it is impossible to forget that you are a slave, and no one really cares if you are willing or no, when the other men at the party are standing around watching and commenting. I cannot say that if I had been alone with one of them that I would not have allowed myself to relax and cooperate for once, but that never happened."

Seven nodded, and her eyes met mine with gentle understanding. I took in a relieved breath at her reaction, comforted that I could neither see nor feel any condemnation or even distaste from her at my revelations. Seven tilted her head to the side, and frowned, "What is the effect of Murkal?"

I could feel my face harden, "Murkal causes you to feel pleasure in the same amount as you feel pain. It is a foul drug, made from an aphrodisiac that has been ensorcelled, and forbidden in most kingdoms, but not in Thay." Seven was looking at me wide eyed at my response, or perhaps it was my expression.

Finally she recovered, "Then you had as little choice as I, why do you expect me to forgive myself for the things I did as a drone when you will not forgive yourself for that?"

I straightened in surprise and dismay, "Because you should forgive yourself, Seven. I've looked in your databases, and found out what happens when you are assimilated. If I were to be assimilated I would no longer be myself, why I would…" I took in a distressed breath, "I would not be able to stop myself from assimilating you if I was ordered to."

"You are correct;" Seven replied coolly, "The assimilation process submerges the individual's identity and links you to the Collective mind which is controlled by the Borg Queen." Seven paused for a moment, her face became determined, "You do not blame me for my actions when I was in the Collective and have encouraged me to understand that I was not acting of my own will. Why do you not extend the same understanding to yourself?" Her blue eyes met mine unwaveringly, giving me no quarter in this matter.

I hung my head, yielding to her reasoning, and let out a discontented sigh, "I do usually." I raised my head again and met her determined gaze, "Sometimes that task is harder than others. This isn't a fight I can win once, and declare a victory, now and again it stalks me, and catches me unaware as it did today." Seven's gaze softened at my words. "I was not expecting to see him." I finished.

Seven nodded unhappily, there seemed to be little more to say. I was not going to be able to forget the memories this day had raised that easily, though our discussion had certainly helped clear my head and I did not feel disconnected anymore.

"Seven," I waited until I had her attention, "Thank you," I said earnestly. "I do not feel numb anymore, and my thoughts are clear. You have helped me greatly, and even if I still feel some shame over how the Murkal made me react, I no longer feel the amount of dismay about the crew knowing as I did before we began talking." I was pleased when Seven's expression lightened as a result of my words.

"There is something else," I admitted. Seven looked at me inquiringly, "I have never stated what happened to me so plainly, not even to Father Tormlin. Seeing your acceptance of it, your understanding, it helps lessen the memory's dark hold over me. It is something I already knew, that speaking of a thing lessens its hold over one, but I have never trusted anyone enough to speak of this until now."

Seven gave me a gentle, warm look, and emboldened by it I asked, "May I embrace you?" needing to feel the comfort of her arms around me.

Seven lifted one brow slightly, "Arana do you wish me to make a request of you whenever I wish to kiss or embrace you?"

"No," I replied immediately, somewhat confused as to why she had asked, but gamely I apologized, "I did not mean to make you think so, Milady."

Seven smiled slightly and the brow rose further. Finally I understood what she was telling me, and flushed at my slowness.

I leaned toward her, and carefully rested my head on her shoulder, then wrapped my arms around her. She shifted closer, wrapped one arm around my back and began stroking my hair slowly. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax into her, listening to the strong beat of her heart, and enjoying the soothing feel of her hand moving over my hair.


	16. Chapter 16

**Arana – Book 1 - Chapter 16**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 01/25/06

Summary: Events of the evening following the day of the battle with Askal.

* * *

"Icheb to Seven," the hesitant voice of the young Brunali, broke the quiet silence of my quarters. Reluctantly I pulled away from Seven's embrace so she could reach her combadge to answer.

"Seven to Icheb, I apologize Icheb I was delayed. I will come to the science lab momentarily." Seven answered him.

I glanced at the time and felt a shock of guilt, we should have checked on the children thirty minutes ago.

"We have just completed the training program you instructed us to run in the holodeck," he responded. "Do you wish us to return to the science lab or we could come to Champion Arana's quarters." His voice rose at the last, betraying his personal choice.

I glanced at Seven inquiringly, sensing her sudden unease at his statement.

"May they come here?" Seven asked me, a slight frown still upon her face.

I nodded, "Of course."

"Please come to Arana's quarters, Icheb," Seven stated, and closed the communications channel.

Standing she went to my console, "I left them no instructions to run a program in the holodeck." She pulled away from the console suddenly, staring at it as if it had bitten her. "This is not possible, there was such a message sent to the children from this console, but we were discussing what occurred on the bridge at the time it was sent."

I came over and stared at the screen, "What is this program?"

"A geosciences program I had intended them to participate in next week," Seven answered me absently. She sat down in the chair and began working furiously at the console.

I watched for a few seconds, trying to figure out what she was doing, "Trying to find out if it is forged?" I hazarded a guess.

"Yes," she replied, still working quickly at the console; information flashing across it so quickly that I could barely manage to discern what it was before it disappeared to be replaced by the new. Not that I understood any of what I was seeing, what she was doing was far beyond my basic understanding of the equipment.

The door chimed a request, "enter," I said, expecting it to be the children. I was partially correct, the children entered, followed by Captain Janeway. I was suddenly quite aware of the skin tight suit I was currently wearing, as I had not fully changed after taking off my armor. I quietly greeted them and then excused myself to go change, as I entered the bathroom I heard Seven inform Captain Janeway of the false message that had been sent to the children.

When I returned a few minutes later, they were all clustered around the console. "The message came from this console," Icheb stated uncertainly.

"It cannot have, neither Arana nor I sent such a message and we were the only ones present in the room." Seven replied, her frustration bleeding over into her tone.

My attention was drawn to the Captain, who was not participating in the argument but looking at the console with a speculative expression. "Captain Janeway, you have a theory?" I asked her.

The children and Seven turned toward her with inquiring looks as she glanced my way, "Only one, Q, but why he would chose to do so escapes me." Janeway admitted.

Everyone fell silent as they considered this possibility, I included. Perhaps I had not imagined that look Q gave me. The conversation between Seven and I had been important to me, it had helped me clarify my thoughts, had allayed my fears, and brought us closer together.

Though I still felt guilty that we had forgotten that we needed to check on the children, I was thankful that Seven and I had the opportunity to discuss Askal and what he had done to me before I saw the children again, and before we needed to go to the mess hall and eat with them. The evening before me now felt like a manageable challenge, still difficult and fraught with possible dangers, but I was now confident that I could face them. Before the discussion, it had loomed forebodingly over me, a dark, frightening unknown, and I had half considered asking if we could eat in my quarters in order to avoid the other crewmembers.

My eyes met Seven's, and a look of understanding passed between us. Seven replied, "Q is the most likely possibility, he has shown interest in Arana's well being." She tapped on the console a few more times and stood up, and I guessed that she had closed the screen. "Captain did you need something from Arana or I?" she asked.

Janeway looked back and forth between Seven and me, apparently surprised by the change in subject. "I guess we're deciding it was Q then?" she asked, her tone controlled. I was confused by her displeasure until I realized that she was feeling left out, not understanding why, or how, Seven had reached that conclusion so quickly.

"He is the most likely choice, Captain, perhaps we can speak of why later, now is not that appropriate, as it is time for the children's dinner," I said quietly.

Janeway's grey eyes met mine, and then flickered over the children quickly, "Alright," she agreed. "I came to ask Seven to visit Unimatrix Zero and inform them of our plan. I know the children need to regenerate later so I wanted to mention it before it got too late."

Briefly, Seven looked troubled by this request, and I could clearly sense her reluctance to do what the Captain wanted. I was puzzled by it until I remembered Axum. With all that had happened since that discussion in the vacant science lab, I had all but forgotten him. Especially since Seven had decided that she was not interested in exploring whatever relationship they used to have.

I sighed lightly, drawing Seven's attention, her blue eyes met mine, and I gave her a sympathetic look, understanding why she was unenthusiastic about returning to Unimatrix Zero.

Seven gave me a brief nod, and a resigned lift of her brow. I returned it with an encouraging look. The situation was certainly not one she had anticipated, but Voyager had agreed to help them, and she was the only one who could serve as a messenger.

Seven looked over at the Captain, "I will regenerate, and inform them as soon as we have finished consuming our food."

"Alright," Janeway replied, looking back and forth between us curiously, a slight frown on her face. "Well I've got some more work to do, enjoy your dinner," she said to all of us. We murmured our goodbyes, and the Captain took her leave of us. Just before the doors to my quarters closed, I heard the Captain grumble to herself, "And maybe next time someone will give me a crib sheet for those two."

I frowned, uncertain as to what she could have meant by the comment.

"A crib sheet is an example of known plaintext for an encrypted communication," Mezoti commented, "Why would the Captain require one to understand Seven and Arana?"

I blushed, now realizing exactly why Captain Janeway had made the comment. I would have to find a way to apologize to her later for being inconsiderate, though I would still be unable to tell her about the last exchange with Seven, as it was not my information to reveal.

"The Captain was referring to non-verbal communication between Arana and I." Seven responded to Mezoti.

The children looked back and forth between us curiously. Mezoti asked, "Arana does not have a neural interface, how are you able to communicate?"

Seven glanced in my direction, amused. We smiled at one another. "A neural interface is not required for two people to make an accurate guess as to what the other is thinking. Especially if they have made an effort to understand one another's thought processes." Before anymore questions could be asked she continued, "We need to proceed to the mess hall and consume our dinners."

"Champion Arana, did the event you were expecting occur?" Icheb asked me, as we walked toward the turbolift.

I had been expecting this for the last few minutes, and had been attempting to figure out how to answer the inevitable question. "Yes it did, I faced one of Bane's priests and defeated him in battle."

Seven drew in a protesting breath, and I turned to her, pausing, "Milady, it is best they hear this from us rather than overhearing it later." Seven's eyes widened, and though she did not look happy about the situation, she nodded.

"Bane sent an emissary to the Borg Queen," the children looked up at me in surprise and no little bit of fear, "We do not yet know what purpose he had there, but I am sure that finding out that purpose will be my task."

Seven helped me explain how the Queen had tapped into Voyagers communications system. Leaving out the conversation between Askal and I, we told them about the appearance of Q, and how he transported Askal and I to an arena for our battle.

After we were finished with our explanations Icheb asked, "So Torm and Ilmater are Q?"

"If Q is being truthful," Seven remarked.

"He was," I affirmed. I had doubted too, at first, but as Q's explanation continued, I became more certain that, in this at least, he was being truthful. I was also convinced that he had been amongst the Q who had opposed Bane and Lolth, and perhaps he had even been among those captured by them. But, if that was so, he had obviously chosen not to go into exile with them.

Seven gave me an inquiring look, curious as to what had prompted my statement.

"I believe he was one of the Q opposing Bane and Lolth," I repeated my thoughts aloud. Seven raised her brow at this, and a thoughtful look came upon her face, but she did not say anything as we had arrived at the mess hall.

Once we were seated with our meals, I had time to gauge the reactions of the crewmembers there to my presence. To my relief, it appeared that Seven was correct, while there was an undercurrent of sorrow and distress when people looked my way, the emotions were not overly strong. Just as strong were feelings of respect, and to my surprise wariness. I concentrated briefly, employing one of the shielding methods Tuvok had taught me, and relaxed as my awareness of my fellow crewmates emotions faded.

I turned my attention back to Seven and the children, listening with interest as they discussed with her what they had learned in the geosciences holoprogram. As the discussion continued, I was pleased that I could follow, and even contribute a few points to the discussion. Though the Captain, due to her uncertainty that I would be staying, had strictly limited how much I could learn, I had managed to gain a basic understanding of their sciences.

A sudden burst of emotional energy, - confusion, embarrassment, anger, and strong concern, - drew my attention to the mess hall doors. Ensign Kim, Lt. Paris and Lt. Torres had just entered, and were looking in my direction.

Judging from the slight color in Ensign Kim's face, and the difficulty he had meeting my eyes, I guessed that he was the primary source of the embarrassment I was feeling. Lt. Paris demeanor was solemn, and when my eyes met his I could see his concern for me. Of the three Lt. Torres' response was the oddest, her eyes shifted briefly back and forth from Seven to me, with frowning confusion plain for anyone to witness upon her face. Yet, when my gaze met hers, the half-Klingon's expression changed, the confusion was still there, but mixed now with concern and sorrow.

I nodded briefly to the trio, and then turned my attention back to the children and Seven. I did not feel ready for another emotionally intense discussion tonight unless it was absolutely required. Seven was watching me, eyes holding concerned questioning. I smiled reassuringly in response.

"I must regenerate and deliver the Captain's message to Unimatrix Zero," Seven stated. "I can ask Neelix to look after the children?" she directed the question to me.

"I only need a few hours to meditate at some point in the evening, if you will not be overly long in fulfilling your duty, I would be pleased to watch over them." I offered. "If that is, of course, acceptable?" I asked the children. With prompt nods they indicated their agreement to my offer.

"It should not require more than an hour," Seven assured me.

A warm feeling suffused my heart, "Do not hurry in your task for my sake, Milady. I would not be the cause of you leaving something undone."

Seven looked uncomfortable for a moment, then gave an irritated sigh. "I do not leave my tasks unfinished," she replied defensively.

"No, Milady, my apologies for implying so," I agreed readily, "I only wished you to know that you need not feel as if you need to rush, looking after the children is a welcome duty, and not in any way burdensome to me."

Seven stared at me searchingly for a moment, then a look of gentle understanding came over her face. I wondered if she were remembering, as I was, how earlier in the day I had revealed to her how looking upon the children, seeing their innocence, reminded me of why I had chosen to be a priestess and paladin. She reached out and touched me briefly upon my shoulder. "I will find you when I am done," she replied and stood, and politely I stood as well. Looking sternly at the children she ordered, "Comply with Arana's directions," her expression lightened, "please," she finished.

"Yes, Seven," they replied, surprised. Though she had been rather strict with them as recently as two weeks ago, she had been more relaxed around them ever since I arrived. I attributed it less to my influence, and more to the simple fact that I had been helping her with them, thus giving her more time for her duties and her own personal projects.

Seven turned and took a step toward the doors, then paused and turned back toward me. Her hands clasped behind her she said in a low voice, "Until I return, may Ilmater and Torm watch over you."

I was surprised, I had said those words to her several times, but this was the first time she had ever said them to me. "And you as well, Milady." I finally gathered my wits enough to reply properly.

She nodded, our eyes met. There was an intensity to her gaze that conveyed her promise that, though she was about to see the man she had just learned was her first lover, it was I she was interested in, not Axum. We looked at each other for a moment longer, and I had the clear impression that had we been alone she would have kissed me. Arousal and a bit of nervousness swept through me as I realized it would likely have been more passionate and possessive than any of the other times our lips had met.

Then she turned and strode quickly through the doors, leaving me staring after her. It was only then that I noticed how much attention we had drawn, several of the other crewmembers were now looking my way curiously. The trio of Ensign Kim, Lt. Paris, and Lt. Torres, were among the most keenly interested of all in what had just occurred between Seven and I.

"Champion Arana," I turned back to the children at the sound of Mezoti's voice. "Can we run the Kings Canyon Natural Park Caverns program?" the girl asked excitedly.

Bemusedly I commented, "If Icheb, Rebi and Azan have no objections?" Not quite certain exactly what the program was, except that it obviously contained caves, or why Mezoti was so excited about it.

"I will be able to view the constellations from Earth," commented Icheb, his eyes bright.

Well, now at least I knew something more, this park was on Earth, which raised my interest in it. I had studied the Federation, and the planet Captain Janeway and several others of the crew were born upon. But I had not yet had the opportunity to participate in a holoprogram recreating a location upon this planet they were trying so hard to return to.

Mezoti was showing me a spider that was uniquely adapted to its cavern environment when Seven came up to us almost an hour and a half later. I turned and greeted her, relieved to see that she appeared calm and untroubled. I was curious as to what had happened during her visit, but knew now was not the proper time.

Once our allotted time was finished, Seven and I escorted the children to the cargo bay and watched them begin their regeneration cycle.

"I informed them of Captain Janeway's plans," Seven informed me abruptly once all the children were regenerating. "I also spoke with Axum," now Seven looked unsettled. "He was originally angry with me, but I believe that was due to my phrasing, it lacked sensitivity."

Seven grimaced briefly, and I wondered just what it was that she had said to Axum.

She continued, "I apologized for telling him that the earlier friendship was irrelevant."

I winced, now understanding why Axum responded less than positively.

Seven nodded, looking embarrassed. "I explained to him that the reason I did not wish to pursue the earlier relationship with him was due to the fact that I was interested in someone on Voyager." Seven's expression changed to one of bemusement, "He was not surprised when he learned you were a woman. He informed me I was attracted to another woman before he and I entered into a monogamous relationship, but she disappeared from Unimatrix Zero. After a few months we assumed that she had been killed or deactivated, and I began dating Axum."

I stared at her in astonished surprise for a moment, then my lips quirked in a smile, causing Seven to look at me curiously. "I confess, Milady, I am somewhat relieved to find out that I am not the first female you have ever been interested in having a relationship with," I admitted.

She raised her brow at me, and smiled, "No apparently you are not." Her smile faltered, "Though I do not have any memory of the woman Axum mentioned."

"I am sorry," I replied, "When I first encouraged you to find out about your time there I should have thought about some of these possibilities."

"Arana," Seven interrupted me. "You do not need to apologize for encouraging me to find out what happened during my time there. Though some of the things I have learned have been...unsettling, I have also gained some of the insight that you wished me to learn. I was able to recognize some of the people there and remember they were my friends, even though I do not have specific memories of them or the time we spent together. The experience has helped me gain a greater understanding of my humanity."

"I am pleased that my apology is not needed then," I replied, with a relieved smile.

The sound of the doors opening behind us drew our attention and Seven and I both turned curious as to who had entered the cargo bay.

"Oh, hello," Lt. Torres greeted us, sounding surprised that we were here. I was confused by her behavior, for I could easily tell that she was not surprised at all. "Just looking for some parts to get the Delta Flyer ready for the mission, don't mind me." She assured us as she began looking through the containers noisily.

Remembering her curiosity earlier, I was almost certain that she was here only to observe us. I found it odd, considering that she was getting ready to go on a fairly serious mission, but then I knew that people distracted themselves from their pre-battle fears in the strangest ways. Lt. Torres assuaging her curiosity was certainly not the most unusual thing I had ever seen someone do to calm themselves.

Seven's brow, which had been rising steadily during Lt. Torres's entire performance, was now at the highest zenith of dubiousness that I had ever witnessed from Seven. Striding over to her console she picked up a PADD, checked it, then entered some data into it.

I watched her curiously, clearly sensing her amusement and aggravation with Lt. Torres. I had the feeling she was about to do something to annoy the Lieutenant, but I could not figure out what it might be.

Walking over to Lt. Torres with the PADD in hand, Seven gave it to the mystified engineer. "I believe you will find this helpful in your efforts," Seven said to Lt. Torres as she took the PADD from her.

The Lieutenants expression changed from puzzlement to a conflicted mixture of anger and amusement. Finally she snorted, "You think so do you? That's ok; I'll leave the detailed studies up to you," she replied as she handed back the PADD to Seven. "Ah!" she reached back into the bin and drew out a piece of equipment, waving the part triumphantly in the air she said, "Found what I was looking for."

Seven and I watched as Lt. Torres sauntered back out of the cargo bay. Confused and intrigued, I turned to Seven for an explanation.

Seven sighed, looking uncomfortable, finally she began speaking, "A few months ago I conducted a study of the relationships on Voyager. The couple I spent the most time observing was Lt. Paris and Lt. Torres. Lt. Torres was not pleased when she deduced why I spent so much time around them." She finished dryly.

I suspected that was a definite understatement given what I had observed of the half-Klingon's temperament. "Seven," I managed to say in a chiding tone before giving up the battle and chuckling. I could understand why she had approached the matter in that manner; Seven was used to researching everything, why would she change her preferred method of learning just because the subjects were her fellow crewmembers?

Seven replied, "Yes, I know. I am not supposed to conduct studies as if Voyager was a nature preserve," her smile growing as she watched me.

I lost the battle completely, and began laughing in earnest at the image that arose in my mind at her words. Seven stalking through the corridors, PADD in hand, trying to covertly observe the two Lieutenants, while entering data in her usual brisk manner.

My laughter faded as I watched Seven in amazement, she had just laughed with me, it had only been two short chuckles, but she had definitely just laughed. It was, as far as I knew, the first time I had ever saw her do so.

"I laughed," Seven commented looking as surprised as I felt. "The last time I remember laughing was when I was a child."

I walked over to her and pulled her into an warm embrace, pleased and happy beyond measure that I had contributed to such a moment. "May it be the first of many for you, Milady." I wished her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Arana – Book 1 - Chapter 17**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and crew belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D based character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 01/29/06

Summary: Seven and Arana speak with Tyr and Mystra, plans are made.

* * *

My embrace began as a warm congratulation after Seven's first laugh, until she wrapped her arms around me and fitted her warm, leanly-muscled body against mine. I stared into her blue-grey eyes and my breath caught in my throat. Desire, at first nebulous, grew sharper, until it was a well defined yearning for each other. Our lips met, and for the first time tentatively opened to one another and I felt the first hesitant exploration of Seven's tongue.

At first I didn't react, uncertain as to whether or not I was ready for this escalation of our intimacy. I had feared that I might interpret strong arousal and desire as threatening, given that the rape by the Lovitarian's had only been weeks ago. Now though, I knew instantly how wrong I had been to worry. Her desire for me was not frightening, it was strong, yes, but also warm and tender, and I knew it went deeper than just a desire for my physical touch.

I felt her hesitation and intent to pull back, just before I responded with a sighing moan and returned her kiss willingly. Darting my tongue out, I caressed the softness of her full lips briefly. My action elicited a surprised moan, and then Seven tightened her arms around me, pressing herself even closer against me. The kiss grew more passionate as our tongues hesitantly, and then with more confidence, explored and met one another.

A pleading sound from Seven brought me to my senses, as I realized how quickly the passion between us had risen. I could feel her need now as an aching void, and I sensed she was rapidly approaching the point where she would want to do more than simply continue kissing. Yet, I knew I was not ready for us to go beyond this point. Even if I was, this was certainly not an appropriate place, it was public, and where the children could wake at any time and see us.

Gently I pulled back, ignoring both my own protesting emotions and hers. Our lips parted, and before she could say anything I whispered, "This is a public place, Milady. We should not do this where the children could wake and see us, it is not appropriate." I admitted hesitantly, "And also, I am not ready yet for more than this."

Seven pulled back, her desire diminishing as concern for me replaced it.

Before she could say or ask anything I volunteered, "No, nothing you did reminded me of what the Lovitarian's did to me. But I do not think I am ready for things to move beyond this point, I do not want to ever think of that when I am holding you."

Seven replied unhappily, "I do not wish for you to ever think that way either."

I rested my forehead against hers, "I want to know you better, to give ourselves time for our emotions for one another to grow."

Her eyes searched mine, "I want that as well," Seven assured me. Troubled she asked, "Was it incorrect for me to kiss you in that manner?"

"No," I assured her quickly, "It was only because I knew I would soon want to do more than just kiss you, that made me decide it was time to stop."

Seven smiled, reassured, "You would not have been alone in that desire," she admitted. Reluctantly, we released one another and parted. "Arana, if it will not interfere with your meditation may I accompany you to your quarters, and continue my work there? Or I could wait until you are finished?" Seven asked me hesitantly.

"You are always welcome in my quarters, Seven, and your working will not disturb my meditation." I replied, and was rewarded with another smile.

Several minutes later, with the quiet sound of Seven working at the console, I began trying to bring the events of the day into some type of order in my mind. Now that I had gotten over the shock of seeing Askal, and the repercussions of the very public conversation between us, I found myself wondering with growing concern just why Bane was interested in the Borg. What dark undertaking, could the Black Lord be planning?

It was with these thoughts swirling though my mind, that I began my meditation. Usually when I meditated, I focused on regaining my store of divine power and communing with my deities, and the entire time I remained completely aware of my surroundings. This time though, while I remained aware that I was actually sitting in my quarters aboard Voyager, it seemed as if I were standing on some vast white marble floor that stretched away in all directions infinitely. There were no walls here, no ceiling, only blackness on all sides except for the whiteness of the floor.

"Champion Arana," a deep male voice spoke, and I turned swiftly, a tall broad shouldered man now stood beside me, his dark hair was streaked with grey. I could not help but immediately notice that his right arm and hand badly scarred as if from severe burns, and upon his face were several more scars, one of which ran directly over the empty socket of his left eye.

I stared at him, dismayed by the mute evidence of his suffering. I met the steady gaze of his remaining eye, and realized that I knew who this was, I bowed deeply to him, "My Lord Tyr," I acknowledged remaining in my bow. Tyr, Torm and Ilmater were known as the Triune, and of the three deities Tyr was indisputably the most powerful. Ilmater served the Triune as its heart, and Torm as the hand that took action, but Tyr was the one that guided both as the Triune's mind.

"Rise, Champion Arana," he instructed me gently.

I did as he bade, and waited to find out why I had been summoned here by him.

"I have been told of your battle with the priest of Bane, and that you now know of our origins." Tyr stated, and looked at me expectantly.

I replied, "Yes, Lord Tyr." I regarded him with respectful awe, as I recalled who he was, and why he was here.

Tyr regarded me sorrowfully, "Do not look upon me so, Arana. The Q you spoke to would say that we grew as enamored of the thankful worship of those we saved, as did the other Q of torturing and killing, and he would be correct in saying so, though that was not the entire reason for our decision."

I was taken aback by his statement for a just a moment, then I rallied, "None the less, My Lord Tyr, our lives would not be worth living had you not chosen exile to protect us."

He stared at me, and finally nodded, acceding to my logic. His expression became sorrowful once again, and he said, "Arana, I am not perfect; I have faltered, given into doubt and despair, sought solace from that despair, and I have failed those that had every right to expect me to be their protector." He said harshly, in what seemed like bitter self-anger to me.

"Milord," I protested, then faltered, and fell silent. His emotions were strong, and I could not help but feel his turmoil and pain. His emotions deeply affected me, but they also confused me, I did not understand why he was revealing this to me, and what events he was referring to that so obviously tormented him. However, I did know that I could not let his pain remain unanswered. "Even if it were so Milord, it is not my place to judge you, and if it were I am certain there were reasons beyond even your control that prevented you from doing so."

His stern face softened as he looked at me, "You have a kind and forgiving nature, combined with an inner core of strength and courage that has seldom faltered, even with all that you have suffered." Tyr replied gently. We looked at one another for a moment longer; he gazed at me searchingly, but for what I did not know.

Finally he spoke once again, "Arana," he hesitated, frowned, "Perhaps it would have been better if we had informed our followers of our nature, of our history, but we did not. Over the course of time some of us, including myself, realized that our followers had interpreted the different ways we interacted with them as coming from different deities, not one, and since it seemed to help mortals to think of us so, we allowed it to continue."

I stared at him confused until his form grew indistinct and instead of one man I saw three. One was Tyr, as I more commonly knew him, a one handed, one eyed, stern figure. The other two were Ilmater, in the form of a kind eyed man, bent and hunched from the pain of fresh whip marks, and Torm as an older warrior with a mane of silver hair clasped at his neck, radiating calm and courage. Then the three figures merged back into the scarred man I had first met.

I stood numbly, my mind trying to grasp what I had just been shown. I looked once again at the brutal scarring upon his body. "Bane and Lolth did that to you." I blurted out, and then stopped aghast at what I had said to him, at my insensitivity.

"Yes," he replied. With a casual wave, he dismissed my worry, "Do not be concerned, it was a long time ago, and I am not that sensitive about how I got them." He hesitated and then smiled wryly, "Excepting perhaps, that they were able to capture me in the first place." He was silent for a moment, then his demeanor changed abruptly, "Well, enough of my self-indulgence, we must discuss Bane and Lolth, and what their plans might be."

He paused, realizing that I was staring at him in confusion, for I was not entirely sure what self-indulgence he referred to. "My self-indulgence in wanting to personally tell you that I am known as Torm and Ilmater, as well as the first name mortals called me, Tyr. I did not wish you to feel betrayed, or that it was merely some ill-mannered jest on my part." He held up a silencing hand, stopping my protest. "I wanted you to understand that, even though I did not tell you that you have always served only me, I did so only because I believed it was what you and others needed from me."

It had always been a source of strength and comfort to me to know that Torm and Ilmater cared for my wellbeing, and that I frequently pleased them with my actions. Now, of course, I understood it had been Tyr that had been concerned about me, Tyr that I had made proud by my actions, and now he seemed to be asking if I was disappointed that he had hidden this from me. Or rather not hidden, but had not corrected my misassumption that Torm and Ilmater were individual deities, since he had never once told me he was Torm or Ilmater, he had simply came when I called him by those names, and appeared to me as I thought he should.

"My Lord Tyr, forgive me if I am being presumptuous, but if you are asking my forgiveness for not informing me that it has always been you I chose to follow, you that I turned to for comfort and strength in my times of torment, then I can tell you that I do not see where forgiveness is needed on my part." I informed him with solemn truthfulness.

I regarded him uncertainly, wondering if I had understood the situation correctly, and even if I had understood it correctly, whether I had just grossly overstepped the bounds of propriety in my response to it.

Tyr's face stilled at my words, and he seemed caught up in some inner emotional struggle, finally he nodded brusquely. "As for Bane and Lolth," he began, abruptly ending the more personal conversation, "We believe that the information needed, to understand what their plans are, will be found easier on Faerun than from the vessel Voyager."

I was wondering why Tyr had said, we instead of I, when there was a brief flash of light beside him and the form of a woman appeared. She was slightly shorter than he, with straight, midnight-black hair, intense green eyes, and the features and ears of a half-elf. It vaguely crossed my mind, as I looked at her, that we could easily be mistaken for sisters or at least cousins. Then I realized who she had to be, and I was embarrassed at the direction my thoughts had taken me, for we could not possibly be related. I bowed courteously to her, "Lady Mystra?" I asked uncertainly.

Her mouth quirked in a slight smile, "And Selune, Eilistraee, and Sehanine Moonbow, but I prefer Mystra of all of the names mortals have given me."

I nodded respectfully, acknowledging her words. Turning back to Lord Tyr I asked, "I am to return for a time to Faerun?" I questioned, willing myself to do my duty, as my heart sank at the thought of leaving Seven. I did not even want to think of the possibility that Captain Janeway's fears would prove to be correct, and I would be ordered to return permanently.

"Yes," it was not Lord Tyr who answered me, but Lady Mystra, "But not alone. There is someone who will be called upon to accompany you, provided she is willing and accepts my patronage and training of her."

I almost asked who the person was they were referring to, before realizing the answer for myself, "Seven," I whispered.

Dimly, as if from a long distance away, I heard Seven reply, "Arana?" There was the sound of her footsteps, and then the feel of her hand upon my shoulder.

"What is the…," Seven's voice trailed off in surprise as she appeared beside me.

"Seven," I paused, confused as what to say first of everything that I had learned. Seven glanced at me then turned her attention to the two Q. "Seven, this is Lord Tyr and Lady Mystra." I introduced them, recalling my manners.

"I am also called by the names Torm and Ilmater," Tyr informed Seven calmly.

A momentary widening of her eyes, betrayed Seven's surprise, before she turned and looked at me in concern.

I gave her a reassuring smile, letting her know that I was no longer upset about that revelation. I hesitated at telling her the next piece of information, not quite certain about my feeling on the issue of her accompanying me. On one hand her company would be very welcome, allowing us to continue our fledgling relationship, on the other hand tracking down information about Bane's plans was most certainly dangerous and potentially deadly, and the thought of taking Seven into such a situation was frightening.

As if she had read my thoughts Lady Mystra said to me sternly, "If our suspicions are correct, and this situation is not resolved satisfactorily, then there will be no place you can take Seven to keep her safe, because no one will be beyond Bane's reach, not even us. And the probability of this situation being resolved satisfactorily is considerably less if you go without her assistance." At my shocked gaze, she continued, "And no I did not read your mind, I did not need to, you would not be who you are if you did not worry about taking her with you."

I was taken aback at the accuracy of her words, feeling uneasily surprised at how well Mystra apparently knew me.

"I am to accompany Arana where?" Seven asked evenly.

"Faerun," answered Mystra, "But you will need extensive training before you are ready, and you will need a way to maintain your implants."

Seven met Mystra's stare with outward impassiveness, "What do you believe are the reasons behind Bane's actions?" she asked.

Mystra smiled approvingly, "Gather all available information before coming to a decision, a sensible choice. Very well, there are several reasons we can think of for Bane to ally with the Borg. We do know, given Bane's nature, that he has to think that he can either control the Borg Queen, or take control of the Collective from her."

Seven inhaled sharply in dismay, at the last statement.

"Yes, the idea of the Collective with him in direct control, and used as an instrument of fear and oppression is fairly frightening, but the logical progression of either possibility is of even more concern." Mystra stated grimly, "and with either possibility we do not see how Bane would be content with just Toril, he would want both Toril and your universe."

Mystra paused a moment for the information to sink in, "If the first possibility is the true one, and he controls the Borg Queen, then she will have access to everyone on Toril." Mystra turned to Seven, "I think you can agree that the planet would be of interest to her because of the biological distinctiveness of its inhabitants."

"It would," Seven agreed after a moment, her face tense.

Mystra and Tyr shared an uneasy look, "There is not only that. You must understand that a full battle between each group of Q would endanger not only our own existence, but also the existence of this plane and Toril. Neither side, excepting Shar who would like for just that to happen, wants that outcome, therefore both sides have mostly limited themselves to using willing mortals to fight for them."

Mystra hesitated, "Lolth was the first one to interfere with the development of the elves who followed her, giving them limited abilities to control and manipulate various sources of energy. And to protect our followers, we were forced to do the same. Now such abilities are fairly widespread, inborn, and usually develop around puberty." Mystra's green eyes met mine, "Including Arana's abilities, which due to your elven heritage you developed around the age of seventeen."

I was surprised, I could clearly remember when the Doctor had examined my genetic code and determined that it did not contain the information necessary to form the energy controlling organelles he had found inside my body. I frowned at Lady Mystra, confused.

Mystra continued, "Your genetic code was obscured to hide this fact for your protection. We know that the Borg Queen scans Voyager regularly, and monitors communications to keep up with your activities." Mystra said the last directly to Seven. "We could not risk her finding out the truth."

Seven looked sharply at her, then back at me, "Arana's abilities should be of interest to the Collective, but since the Borg Queen believes they are caused by the Q she has obviously not judged Arana to be of such interest as to order her assimilation. If she were to find out they are inborn, it might increase Arana's value to the Collective enough to order the assimilation of Voyager to obtain her." she analyzed.

Upon hearing Seven's assessment I was suddenly much more appreciative of the actions taken to protect me, I had no desire to endanger Seven, or Voyager by my mere presence. And, of course, there was the fact that I did not want to join the Collective.

"So we concluded," Mystra agreed. She watched Seven, for a moment, "Seven, the Borg Queen's actions are not your responsibility. We have done what was necessary to protect Arana, and since both of you are still individuals, we know that our deception succeeded."

I looked sharply at Seven, dismayed that I had missed how the revelation of the Queen's spying had troubled her.

Mystra paused waiting until Seven nodded in reluctant agreement, then she continued briskly, "However, that is not our main concern. We fear that given the nature of the changes made, the Borg would gain considerable knowledge of the Q. I know that our powers seem immense, but there are ways to capture us, kill us, and, I'm sure with enough time and information, perhaps even enough to eventually assimilate one of us"

The very idea that Tyr or Mystra could be assimilated bothered me profoundly, and it brought the potential severity of the situation into sharp focus, even I understood how much more powerful possession of even one Q would make the Borg. "They cannot be allowed to assimilate Toril, or both planes will be lost." I concluded.

"If you have changed Arana's genetic code to hide this information, cannot you do this for all the inhabitants of Toril?" asked Seven.

"We could," answered Tyr, frowning mightily, "If it were not for the fact that we can only change approximately one half of the population. We cannot touch those that follow them, and that renders such effort useless."

"He plays a dangerous game," I commented, stunned at Bane's recklessness, "He must be fairly certain then that the can control her or conquer her and take the Collective from her."

Tyr added, "And if he fails he would not care about what happened to anyone else."

Seven was silent for a moment, her attitude coolly analytical, "How certain are you of this data?" she inquired.

Mystra gave her an approving look, "Not nearly enough, which is why we need to find out more about what Bane's plans are."

"Very well, what training is required of me," Seven asked Mystra, resolutely, standing stiffly with her hands clasped behind her back.

Mystra eyed her, a smirk slowly forming on her face, "Everything from basic survival and camping skills, and enough of an understanding of Faerun culture to not get yourself killed for insulting someone, to weapons skills and magical training."

Seven raised her brow, "I do not possess the same physical organs as Arana, how am I to manipulate the energy required for such training?" her tone slightly challenging.

I glanced back and forth between the two women, anxious about the rising tension between them.

"I give them to you," replied Mystra, off-handedly, "provided you make it to that part of your training."

Seven's shoulders stiffened, her chin rose, "I am certain that learning the necessary cultural knowledge and weapons training will not prove to be beyond my abilities. As for basic survival skills, I have been a Borg drone; I do know the basic survival skills of over ten thousand species."

Mystra eyed her dubiously, "Indeed? So you already know how to ride a horse? You actually know what it feels like to live outdoors for weeks at a time, dealing with cold, heat, rain, mud, and insects? And as for the cultural knowledge, while I agree that you can learn the different salutations and bows used to greet others from common to the highest level of nobility fairly easily, do you think you can manage to speak to them respectfully, no matter what your opinion of their intelligence and abilities?" once Mystra was finished with her listing, she raised an eyebrow questioningly, looking very like Seven when she doubted someone's truthfulness.

I quickly mastered my expression; for I had not fully considered the magnitude of what Seven needed to learn. After hearing Mystra's questions, I had my doubts about how she would deal with an environment so different from what she was used to, and whether or not she could manage to learn the polite mannerisms required to deal with the various people she would meet if she traveled with me. Or perhaps learn was the wrong word, I knew she could learn all of it, the question was would she be able to accept and implement what she learned.

The two of them exchanged glances, challenging on one side, defiant on the other, "I will adapt," Seven replied in a hard uncompromising voice.

I noticed Mystra's mouth quirk, and her eyes dance. "I guess we will see, won't we," she replied.

I was puzzled by Mystra's attitude, until it occurred to me that in challenging Seven, she had just made the training something Seven had to overcome to prove herself. Which meant the training was more than just something she had to endure to accompany me and stop the Borg Queen.

Seven's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Mystra, her expression turning toward the analytical, and I was certain she suspected she had been manipulated.

The two women gazed with cool appraisal at one another. Seven raised her brow slightly and smirked at Mystra in what I thought was a silent acknowledgement. Then her expression became solemn. "We must keep this information out of Voyager's computer system, and it cannot be transmitted to Starfleet," Seven stated, frowning.

"More than that, you must keep it from everyone until this encounter with the Borg is over. If their plan fails, then the Queen will have access to Janeway's memories, so Janeway cannot know about this information until she returns, if she returns." Mystra ordered.

"Captain Janeway will not appreciate us keeping this information from her," Seven warned.

"But you know she would agree that it's too dangerous for her to know right now," Mystra challenged.

Seven nodded tensely, "Yes, given her other decisions in similar situations, I believe you are correct. That, however, will not stop her from being displeased that we kept this information from her."

Mystra only smirked in reply, but Tyr said, "And I am sorry for that, but it is necessary, to do otherwise would be to endanger everyone for the sake of her pride."

Seven and I traded wary glances, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing, no matter how true, it might be more prudent to simply have the Captain be displeased with us for withholding information, rather than repeat that particular statement to her.

"Champion Arana," I looked at Tyr inquiringly, "Train her well, and as quickly as possible, but do not rush her training and overwhelm her, Faerun is a very different place from anything she is used to." Tyr glanced at Seven kindly. "But I have no doubt that she will succeed if she sets her mind to doing so."

Seven's expression softened, "I will do my best," she responded.

Tyr nodded, and then we were back in my quarters, I still kneeling and Seven with her hand upon my shoulder. I looked up and met her blue eyes, and we traded somber glances both understanding that the future had just gotten more complicated and more dire.


	18. Chapter 18

**Arana – Book 1 - Chapter 18**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and crew belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying System is owned by Wizards of the Coast and no infringement of copyright/trademarks is intended. The only thing I would like to lay claim to is the original D&D based character used in this story.

Rating: (M +16).

Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike about the story.

Revision History: 02/02/06

Summary: Unimatrix Zero drones remember their individuality; Seven begins her weapons training.

* * *

After our conversation with Tyr and Mystra, Seven and I discussed the information we had received, and began drawing up a list of what skills Seven would need to learn before we were sent to Toril, ignoring for the moment the question of how and when Mystra would give Seven the ability to manipulate energy. Many of the items on the resulting, and rather lengthy, list Seven could learn partially by study, and then practical usage, but some of the skills, such as horseback riding and weapon's training could only truly be learned through hours of practice. Finally Seven insisted that I go to bed, while she finished her data analysis in preparation for the start of the mission in the morning.

The next morning I stayed with the children, seeing to their safety, while Voyager engaged the Borg Cube in an elaborate deception that would hopefully end with Janeway, Tuvok and Torres, assimilated, but not actually part of the Collective thanks to the Doctor's neural suppressant. The Borg Queen would assume that the three were no longer a threat, and now ignored, they could go about their sabotage and spread the virus that would give the Unimatrix Zero drones the ability to retain their individuality even when they were not regenerating. As soon as they were done, they would then bring down the Cube's shields and Voyager would retrieve them. At least that had been the plan; whether or not it succeeded we would know in two hours.

As the two hour mark came and went, with Voyager still under red alert, I became more concerned. I had been in enough battles to know that plans seldom worked out as envisioned, especially when there were as many unknown factors as this one had included.

A sudden lurch of the floor underneath my feet almost threw me against the console where I was studying, only my reflexes saved me as I threw up my arms in time to stop myself. The violent pitch that followed, however, succeeded in tossing me to the floor.

A sharp cry from Azan impelled me from where I was lying on the deck, lightly stunned from the impact, to my feet and then to his side. The dark haired boy was lying face down upon the floor, one hand clasped to his forehead. "Azan?" I questioned him urgently, as I kneeled beside him.

"My head has been damaged," he whispered as he rolled over, his hand pressed against his forehead just over the brow of the right eye, between his fingers bright red blood welled and flowed.

Another sickening pitch and lurch of the deck threw all of us against the floor once more. "Everyone stay down, and find something to brace against so you won't be thrown around," I ordered, taking a quick appraisal of the other three children, and visually checking that they were unharmed.

I turned back to Azan, "Let me see how bad it is," I said gently, crouching beside him. His face was paler than usual, but I suspected it was more the shock of the injury than anything else. He removed his hand and I was able to see the long gash in his forehead about a half inch above his eyebrow. "How are you feeling? Nauseous? Dizzy?" I asked him.

"Yes," he replied quietly, not sounding at all well.

I looked into his eyes, used my hand to shade them, and then removed it to see how his pupils reacted. They did not react equally, his right one remaining dilated for a moment longer than it should have. "You have a concussion as well," I noted. I considered my options, I could, of course, call for a transport to sickbay, or attempt to walk there with him and the other children, not a good option considering we were under attack, or I could simply heal his injury myself.

"Remove your hand once again Azan," I instructed him gently, he looked at me curiously but did as I requested. Gently I placed my fingers upon the edge of the wound and murmured, "Elessa." I felt the energy being drawn out of myself, setting the skin of my fingertips tingling where they touched Azan's skin.

"I felt something," Azan exclaimed, as I removed my hand and examined his now undamaged skin.

"A tingling sensation, maybe it seemed to itch?" I asked, smiling, recalling my first experience with being healed by a priest.

"Yes," he smiled, "it felt odd." He rubbed his forehead where the injury had been, "You healed it," he sounded surprised.

"Yes I did," I answered distracted, noting that everything had been calm for a few minutes. "Icheb, can you tell what just happened?" I asked the dark haired young man.

A few moments later, "I sent a message to Seven after I was not able to find any information. She sent this back." Icheb stepped back from the console so that I could read the message.

Seven's note was brief and to the point, Tuvok's medication had failed, and the Borg Queen had obtained Voyager's command codes. When Voyager attempted to rescue the three, the Borg were able to drop Voyager's shields using the codes, and Chakotay had been forced to order a quick retreat before the ship was captured. Voyager would have to be repaired, and the codes changed, before another rescue could be attempted.

"Well, I guess we have time to go to my quarters so Azan can change into fresh clothing," I declared, looking at the blood spots on the boy's shirt, and considering it might be best that he change before Seven saw him.

Three hours later, Voyager shook once again, but not as violently as before, and whatever battle the ship was engaged in was over quickly.

Thirty minutes after that event, Seven walked into the science lab, "I apologize for not personally checking on you earlier," she said to the children, "But I knew Arana would see to your safety," she smiled at me warmly.

Mezoti helpfully assured her, "Azan got hurt, but Arana healed him."

Upon hearing this Seven crossed immediately to Azan, kneeled in front of him and began looking him over carefully.

"He cut his head on one of the consoles, Milady. It was a simple matter to heal it," I assured her.

Icheb commented, "Azan also had a concussion, Arana healed that as well."

I loved Icheb for his truthfulness, his honesty, but at this particular moment, as Seven began peppering Azan with questions, I wished that he had kept that particular detail to himself. I walked up behind Seven and rested a hand upon her shoulder, "Milady, I healed that as well, he is fine." Seven looked up at me, her blue eyes questioning, and I smiled reassuringly at her.

"I am not damaged anymore," Azan spoke up, glancing between us.

Seven examined him for another moment, "Very well, but if you begin to not feel well let me know immediately," she instructed him. Looking back up at me she said, "Thank you, Arana."

"It seemed the simplest and safest thing to do, Milady," I commented.

She stood, and began telling us what had happened during the past few hours, "We have successfully recovered Captain Janeway, Lt. Cmdr Tuvok and Lt. Torres. Unimatrix One was also destroyed, Captain Janeway ordered the interlink frequency disrupted to prevent the Borg Queen from using it to deploy a nanovirus the Borg developed that was capable of killing all the drones with the mutation. After it was destroyed, a Borg sphere in control of one of the former drones assisted us in attacking the Cube and recovering them."

"They are in sickbay?" I asked her.

Seven nodded, "The Doctor is already beginning the process of removing their armor and implants. The process will take several hours."

I smiled, "If the Doctor will let me help, I might be able to assist in their recovery."

Seven raised her brow, intrigued, "Perhaps, after the implants are removed it will take them several days to fully recover; your assistance should shorten that time."

Several hours later, after we had eaten and the children had begun their regeneration, Seven and I went to the holodeck for our first training session.

Standing outside the holodeck, I paused, uncertain as to which program to run, "Have you given any thought as to what type of weapon you would like to use?" I asked Seven. I knew most sorcerers used weapons such as a dagger, staff, mace or Morningstar, weapons that were fairly easy to learn how to use, but I didn't know if she was interested in using one of those weapons.

"She wants to use a set of these," Q appeared suddenly beside us, he held up a set of oddly shaped, dark-handled knives in midnight-black sheaths that were embossed decoratively, but did not bear the mark of any deity.

It only took me a moment to recognize what they were. "Kukri," I exclaimed in surprise and dismay, "Milord, I cannot teach Seven how to fight with that weapon, for I do not know how to use them." I paused, "Though I have fought against someone that was skilled in their use, and know that they can be a deadly weapon in skilled hands, capable of both effective offense and defense."

As I remembered the thief that had attacked me one dark rainy night in the seedy depths of Waterdeep's Dock Ward, I regarded the weapons Q was holding with respect. On that night, over five years ago, I hadn't known enough to respect the oddly shaped knives the thin, greasy-haired thief was using. It wasn't until he proved how capable they were of not only parrying my longsword, but also of cutting a rather deep gouge into my shield that I recognized how much danger I was in. Fortunately, the arrival of my fellow knights caused him to flee, but I had never forgotten the night, and had taken the time to learn something of the weapons he had used so efficiently.

Q handed the knives to Seven with a flourish and a short bow, "I believe these are for you," a small smile played about his mouth.

Seven accepted them curiously, and drew one from its black sheath. Gleaming in the light, the dark silvery blade revealed lighter silver and blue highlights as Seven examined it, and was not immediately recognizable as any metal I had seen before. The blade itself was approximately fourteen inches in length, narrow near the guard-less hilt, and then broadening and curving forward, its greatest width near the tip and then slightly recurving and forming the point. The curved weapon was edged only on one side, the inward curving one, while the outer edge had a thick spine capable of blocking all but the heavier of weapons.

As Seven examined it closely, I thought I saw a symbol etched upon the blade, but then she turned the blade and it was gone again. "Milady would you turn the blade more slowly, I believe there is a mark upon it." Seven glanced at me with a raised brow, but did as I asked, and this time I could see it clearly, when the light caught the blade at precisely the right angle the sigil of Mystra, a river surrounded by seven stars, could be seen upon it.

"And as for a teacher, why I've already thought of that," Q said smoothly with a charming smile, and indicated the door to the holodeck, "If you two lovely ladies will just step inside..."

I eyed him dubiously, wondering just what he was planning, however, even though his manner was roguish, I sensed he had no ill intentions. Seven and I glanced at one another, her brow was raised questioningly, and I shrugged, seeing no reason why we should not do as Q asked.

I stepped forward smartly, making sure I was through the doors before Seven entered. Looking around alertly, I examined the environment. We had stepped from the corridor into a clearing, sunlight shone in fitful beams through the dense canopy of trees and tall bamboo onto ferns and other plants I did not recognize. Once the doors had shut the illusion of being surrounded by a jungle was complete.

Movement caught my eye; a man had just stepped out of the jungle into the clearing. His deeply lined face spoke of a life lived out in the sun and weather, the skin almost the color and texture of fine leather. His dark eyes examined us, or rather Seven, for she was the main subject of his interest, as intently as I was examining him.

"This is the one I am to train?" he directed his question to Q.

Q nodded, "Yes she is, U-Thet-Myaing meet Annika Hansen." Q smirked as Seven glared at him, "The ingratitude," he exclaimed, "Here I am serving as but a poor delivery boy, and she looks like she wants to use those knives on me!" Q sniffed self-pityingly.

Seven gave an irritated sigh and turned back toward U-Thet-Myaing, "Annika Hansen was my name before I was assimilated by the Borg, I prefer to be called Seven."

"Very well, Seven. Let us begin your training," he beckoned her forward. "You may lay your kukri on the mats for now," he instructed as Seven stepped toward him.

Once Seven had done as he requested and was standing in front of him he continued, "I will be training you in the Burmese Fighting Art known as Bando, once I am satisfied you have mastered the basics, I will begin training you in the use of the kukri."

"I was trained, however unwillingly, in Tsunkatse, a Delta Quadrant martial art," Seven informed Thet-Myaing.

"Yes, and the stance, blocks and kicks you learned will serve as a good basis for your training, but I will not be teaching you how to strike target sensors on your opponents." He remarked dismissively. "I will be teaching you how to survive and win an encounter where an enemy or enemies have managed to close with you, and intend on capturing or killing you. By the time your training is complete, you will have a decent chance of walking away from such a situation instead of being the one lying dead on the ground, or perhaps even worse, tied up awaiting the tender treatment of your captors." His face was as grim as his words.

I inhaled sharply, that had been one of the reason's I had not been eager to take Seven with me on this search for information, the fear that she might fall into the hands of either Bane or Lovitar's priests.

Seven glanced in my direction, her eyes haunted, and I knew she was remembering the 'tender' treatment I had received. Her face hardened, and she turned back to him, resolve in every line of her body. "Then we should begin my training."

Thet-Myaing's dark eyed gaze was, I thought, judicious, weighing Seven's attitude and determination. When he nodded abruptly, I was not surprised; Seven was not one to shirk away from a duty just because it was dangerous and unpleasant. And besides, in this case it seemed as if there was little choice, either we sought out Bane and Lolth's plans on our terms, or they would eventually be able to seek us out in either plane.

Q placed a hand on my sleeve, and inclined his head, drawing my attention to a trail that lead away from the clearing on our left. After a moment of watching Thet-Myaing and Seven, as he corrected her stance and began going through the first motions of a training kata, I followed Q.

"I believe your time would be better spent doing some training of your own, instead of watching hers," Q commented as we entered another clearing. "Not that I don't doubt you would find that enjoyable," I could hear the sly amusement in his tone, and frowned reprovingly at him.

"This is your knight?" a man's voice came from my right, an older bearded gentleman, his long graying hair tied back, stood there eyeing me doubtfully.

"Champion of Torm, Arana, Milord," I introduced myself with a courteous bow.

He frowned, "I'm no noble, Master-at-Arms, Johannes Liechtenauer at your service, Madam."

My interest was piqued by his title, "I beg your pardon, Master Liechtenauer, for any offense given."

His mouth twitched, "Well she's certainly well enough spoken to be a knight," he commented to Q.

"Oh, yes, courteously spoken, chivalrous, noble, self-sacrificing," Q rolled his eyes, "a true paragon of all the knightly virtues, reminds me of Tyr every time I'm near her."

I was overwhelmed at the compliment, though I knew he did not entirely mean it as such, "Milord Q, you honor me too greatly, I am humbled you would consider me worthy of comparison to My Lord Tyr."

Q's mood turned suddenly heated, "Yes you are, but unlike him you're considerably easier to kill! I'm hoping Master Liechtenauer will increase the chances of you living long enough to find out what Bane and Lolth are up to, and maybe knock some sense into that thick head of yours, your nobility and self-sacrifice won't do anyone any good if it gets you killed." He glared at me, and sharp underneath his outward anger I sensed his concern.

I stared at him, confused both by his outburst and the emotion behind it, "I will do my best to learn all that I can from Master Liechtenauer, Milord," I promised him sincerely, after a heartbeat's hesitation.

"Yes, well," Q appeared to be somewhat embarrassed, but covered it quickly with his usual bantering manner, "I believe you will find these to be of some help in that." Q snapped his fingers and I suddenly found myself dressed in my armor and equipped with my longsword and shield. "Oh, and Arana, time flows differently here, you have five hours until you need to leave." With that tidbit of information he snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving with the Master-at-Arms.

"Well," commented Master Liechtenauer, "Let's evaluate your level of training shall we?" A huge bear of man dressed in full plate armor stepped out of the forest at these words and drew his sword. "If you would practice with my assistant," Master Liechtenauer requested mildly.

Five hours later, after another brief visit by Q during which he returned my armor to my room and admonished us to return each day for training, Seven and I stepped out of the holodeck, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we stumbled wearily out of the holodeck. I hadn't been as sore and bruised as I was at this moment for years, and I knew Seven had faired no better. I stretched, wincing as my left shoulder protested the movement vigorously. Much to Master Liechenauer's surprise, I had been able to knock down his muscle-bound assistant on more than one occasion by battering into him forcefully, but doing so had definitely taken a toll on me.

"You are injured," Seven noted in concern.

Noting the stiff way she held herself and the bruising just beginning to show on her left cheek, I raised my eyebrow, "No worse than you, Milady."

Seven stated reluctantly, "We should go to Sickbay."

We stood unmoving, considering the idea of braving Sickbay looking as we did with Captain Janeway and Cmdr. Tuvok present. "Or I could just heal us," I offered tentatively, "Captain Janeway and the others are probably asleep, I would not want to wake them unless it was absolutely necessary." I knew we needed to inform Captain Janeway of the meeting with Tyr and Mystra, and the information we had received, but I didn't feel as if it were a good idea for it to happen so soon after their mission and implant removal. Tomorrow, depending on how they were doing, would be the earliest appropriate time.

"You are correct, we should not disturb them," Seven agreed in a relieved tone. "Shall we proceed to your quarters?" she inquired, glancing at me uncertainly.

"Of course, Milady," I started walking in the direction of my quarters, "Would you like to use the shower in my quarters as well?" I asked.

Seven hesitated a moment, giving me a surprised look that turned thoughtful, "Yes, I believe I would," she agreed.

As soon as we entered my quarters I stopped, gazing curiously at the inset in the window unit that contained my bed. The last time I had been in this room the metal surface beneath the bed had been one unbroken area, now there was what appeared to be a thin drawer that extended the entire length of it. "Curious," I noted going over to it, "I was not aware that any changes were to be made to my room." I pulled on the handle and it slid outward smoothly, revealing the same padded surface as was used for my bed.

I glanced inquiringly at Seven who shook her head, frowning, "I was not aware of any scheduled modifications to your quarters either."

I continued pulling what was obviously an extension out from under my bed, when it was completely extended it swung upward and clicked into place, forming one larger double bed. Seven knelt beside it and glanced underneath, as I watched curiously, she pulled on something under it and a support swung down.

Seven stood, and stared at what was now a double bed, "The design is efficient," she noted approvingly. "Perhaps the Captain authorized the modification after our announcement?" she did not sound very sure of her statement, even as she made it.

I began to reply that she was, most likely, correct, and then stopped. The more I thought about it the more unlikely it seemed, Captain Janeway had given her permission to us, yes, but she hadn't been very enthusiastic about it, concerned that I would not be staying. The only one who had seemed pleased to see us together had been Q, and Tyr and Mystra, who had seemed to take the relationship as an established fact.

"Actually, Milady, I do not think Captain Janeway or Lt. Torres knows about this modification. I suspect it was done by Q." I offered.

Seven's eyebrow winged upward in surprise, then she looked at the bed speculatively, "Q has been very helpful to us." She turned in my direction and winced, reminding me abruptly of the original reason for us coming to my quarters.

"My pardon, Seven, let me take care of your injuries," I stepped up to her hand placed on hand on her cheek, over the bruise there, and the other on her shoulder. Her eyes closed and she turned her face to rest more fully against my hand. A warm feeling suffused my body as I looked upon her face nestled so trustingly in my palm, "Elessa," I whispered tenderly, and felt my entire palm tingle against her skin. Seven's eyes opened startled, her gaze met mine, and she gasped. Whether in surprise at the feeling, at something she saw upon my face, I did not know, or really care at this moment, my attention was focused on the inviting softness of her parted lips. I pressed my lips against hers, enjoying the feel of their fullness against mine, and as she began returning the kiss unreservedly, I did not know if the tingle in my lips was due to the fact I was still healing her or from her effect upon me.

Long moments later, stifling my moan of protest, I pulled reluctantly away from Seven's lips. Caressing her cheek I could see that it was now unblemished, with an unwilling sigh I dropped my hand away from her face. "How do you feel?" I asked her.

A smile grew upon her lips and I blushed, discerning easily the reason for it. As my color increased so did her smile, until at last she took pity upon me, "I do not appear to be damaged anymore." She hesitated, "Arana, I felt something."

"A tingling, or itching sensation?" I grinned, remembering Azan's comment earlier.

"That as well, but not only that," Seven replied, "I believe I felt your emotions for approximately four seconds." Her voice, her eyes, reflected her wonder at the experience.

I drew in a breath, "Oh," I exclaimed softly, I had forgotten about that side effect to healing. "That happens sometimes when the healer and the one being healed have strong feelings for one another."

"You have very strong emotions for me," Seven stated, watching me closely.

I nodded, "Yes I do," I answered simply. I could see the confusion on her face, "I am falling in love with you," now it was my turn to hesitate, "And I believe the emotions I sense from you indicate that you feel the same toward me."

Seven drew in a breath, her eyes, bright with emotion, met mine and she silently nodded. Her hands came up and cupped my face, "When we finish this process of falling in love, we will feel even more strongly about one another?"

"So I understand from all that I have heard and read, though I have never experienced this strong a feeling for anyone before," I admitted.

I could see that Seven was pleased by my answer, "It is difficult to imagine such emotions, but I am interested in experiencing them - for you." Her eyes searched mine for a moment, then she gave me a smile which I returned. I went to cover her hands with my own and winced as my shoulder painfully protested. "You are still damaged," Seven exclaimed as her hands fell from my face and she gently touched my shoulder.

"Yes," I ruefully admitted, "I need to tend to my own injuries, and I believe you wished to take a shower."

While Seven showered, I healed my shoulder and a few other lesser injuries. I was surprised by the loose clothing Seven was wearing when she stepped out of the bathroom. The top was short sleeved, revealing a flat oval shaped implant in her right arm that I had never seen before, and light blue in color, the pants were loose fitting as well and of the same color. I was even more surprised when she insisted that I take a like set in with me to change into after my shower, and it caused me to think that she meant take the invitation Q's modification of the bed made, and sleep here.

Thus, I was not surprised to find that she had made up newly widened bed and was already lying down under the covers upon it when came out of the bathroom. I was just not certain as to what my decision would be, whether to attempt to sleep beside her or insist that I sleep on the floor. Thought much of my thoughts fled at the sight of her laying there, her hair a golden colored halo as it lay loose upon the pillow.

"I have never succeeded at any attempts to sleep since I was separated from the Collective," Seven looked uncertain as she commented, "Perhaps this location and your presence will assist me." I had the impression that she knew that I would object to us sleeping together, but was hoping that she would be proven incorrect.

I suddenly felt rather selfish at not considering why she would want to sleep here, instead of only considering my own comfort, "Of course, if you believe it will help," I replied.

Seven had taken my usual spot, leaving me the side of the bed that was easiest to get out of, I suspected her choice had been purposefully made so that I would not feel trapped, and I appreciated her thoughtfulness. Hesitantly I slid under the covers, and lay down on my back, careful to keep a few inches between us and ordered the lights to dim.

After a few minutes, Seven sighed and I could feel her unhappiness, she sat up and I knew that she was about to offer to leave, "I am sorry, lay back down and let us attempt this again." I entreated her before she could say anything.

In the darkness of the room, I could not make out the expression on her face as she stared at me; "Very well," she finally agreed and slid under the covers once again.

I looked at how she was lying stiffly on her back, "That position is comfortable for you?" I asked her doubtfully. Soundlessly she rolled to her side, still facing me and looked at me inquiringly. I rolled over, mirroring her posture, and moved towards her until my back just brushed against her chest. A bare second later, she closed the gap remaining between us and curled her body around mine, and wrapped her arm around my waist, burying her face into my hair. I resisted the urge to make an appreciative sound at the soft feel of her chest against my back, and how her hips, and her legs pressed invitingly into my body.

"This is comfortable," she whispered in my ear.

I choked back a laugh, it was comfortable, almost overwhelmingly so, but it was also arousing, and I wasn't certain which would win out at this moment.

Sheer weariness was the eventual winner for both of us, and so it was that when the computer brought up the lights and announced the time, it woke both of us from a sound sleep. Sometime during the night, I had sprawled onto my stomach and Seven now rested partially on top of me, her arm over my shoulder, and her hand clasped mine. Her right leg was between mine, and her upper thigh pressed against me rather intimately.

I was startled that being partially trapped as I was had not woken me; years ago I had never been able to allow Alessea to make love to me while I was on my stomach at all, as it tended to cause rather vicious flashbacks. Yet with Seven, though I felt somewhat tense now that I was aware of the positioning, I did not feel threatened by it, or by her. On the contrary, my strongest thought was how achingly aware I was of her thigh where it pressed against me, and how increasingly difficult it was to fighting the urge to press myself more firmly against her.

Thankfully, after a brief hug and a murmured "Good morning," Seven rolled away from me, removing the temptation. "I need to see to the children, we will meet you in the mess hall?" she inquired. Our eyes met, and now I could see that she too had not been unaffected by how intimately we had been lying together when we wakened.

I nodded in reply, and then asked, "We will go to see Captain Janeway this morning or wait until the afternoon?"

Seven frowned, "I will ask the Doctor about her condition and inform you of which is the better time."


End file.
